Ray's Life
by RayVolpe
Summary: A collection of short stories and scenes from the life of one Ray Volpe and the mammals that inhabit his life.
1. Introduction

This "story" will be a collection of short scenes and glimpses into the life of one Ray Volpe. A red fox with a rare and unusual fur pattern, white and black "marble" coloration. He is a street racer that has opened his own speed shop in Savanna Central.

You may want to read Ray's Story, a FPV telling of the events that precede this collection as the events are referenced in this collection a bit.

I will try to mention what timeframe they take place in if that is important to the story.

It also includes Ray's Best friend and business partner Toast. A weasel that has had most of the fur burned off his back when he ran into a fire years ago, so he is always seen wearing a hoodie and long pants to hide the scars.

There will be guest appearances from the 'official' characters from time to time, but I prefer to stick with mostly my OCs

Please, if you find these amusing, leave a comment or review, if there is someway you think I can improve let me know. I am brand new at writing (haven't written a story since high school many many moons ago) and would like to get better in sharing the stories rattling around in my head.


	2. Character list

Name: Raymond Volpe  
Species: Red Fox  
Age: 26  
Physical traits: 4' 2" Ray has an unusual white with black coloration of his fur, commonly referred to as marble.  
Description: Ray is a street racer turned mechanic shop owner. Living and working in Savanna Central in Zootopia.

Name: Gary "Toast" Nivalis  
Species: Weasel  
Age: 24  
Physical traits: 3' 6" Brown fur, white underbelly, missing fur on his back.  
Description: Known as 'Toast' due to the burns he sustained while rescuing a squirrel family from a fire, he wears covering clothing to cover his scars, usually a grey hoodie. He is Ray's best friend from childhood and business partner in Volpe Automotive.

Name: Dr. Sharon Wiley  
Species: Coyote  
Age: 28  
Physical traits: 4' 4" Light brown fur  
Description: Ray's girlfriend, she is a doctor at Amazon General Hospital in The Rainforest District, she lives in Savanna Central in an upscale apartment building with Ray.

Name: Dawn Stanmen  
Species: Hippo  
Age: 37  
Physical traits: 6' 7" Dark Grey hide.  
Description: Police Officer in The Rainforest District. Uses Ray for information about the criminals that show up to the underground races happening around the city.


	3. Nick Borrows the Car

Nick Borrows the Car

Volpe Automotive, Sahara Square. About 2 months after "Ray's Story"

Inside Volpe Automotive, a highly modified compact car sits up on a lift. Underneath, a very annoyed looking white and black colored fox hangs from the end of a long, metal pipe. The pipe, not the source of the fox's annoyance, is slipped over a long handled 'breaker bar' ratchet. This ratchet is also not the item that is causing the fox to mutter obscenities under his breath. Nor is the socket that the ratchet is currently attached to. No, the arch enemy, at least at this moment, of the fox, is the nut that the socket is cupped over. A grade 8, 3/4 inch, course thread, and very stuck, nut.

Ray, this would be the fox, starts to yank on the pipe that he is currently holding onto, causing him to bounce up and down, every bounce brings more hateful language thrown at the stubborn piece of hardware.

"Come on, stupid, mother.., no good, piece of…, why, won't, you, come, loose!"

With that Ray pulls with all of his might on the bottom of a particularly violent bounce and the nut breaks free with a loud crack. The socket now rotates, causing the ratchet to angle down, letting the pipe fall, with the fox at the end of it. Ray hits the ground tail end first as the pipe and ratchet fall away and bounce off the ground with a clang. Ray, rather then looking angry because of his now sore behind, is instead celebrating like he won a prizefight.  
"Yeah!, take that!" as he points and gestures to the now loosened fastener. He rolls over and stands up, obviously favoring one leg, and dusts his navy blue pants and shirt off. He then limps over to the front of the car and starts to spin the nut off the shock mount it was holding in place.

"Ray!" a shout comes from a doorway at the other end of the shop, the source is Toast, a weasel dressed in a grey hoodie and black jeans.  
"What's up?"  
"Cops are here."  
"What? I didn't do it!"  
"Sure you did." chimes in another voice.  
This new voice sounds very familiar to Ray and he immediately starts heading to the front entrance and counter area of the shop, stopping on the way to grab a blue cane that was leaning up against a red toolbox. As the fox walks through the door of the front counter area he is greated by the sight of two officers dressed in the standard ZPD uniform. But instead of two large mammals, that the majority of the force is made up of, stands a smirking red fox and a rather anxious looking rabbit.

"So it is true." Ray remarks to the pair "Cousin Nicholas Wilde, gone legit after all."  
"I have always been legit, cuz." remarks the red fox.  
Ray then turns his attention to the rabbit  
"And this lovely lady must be the famous Officer Judy Hopps."  
Judy smiles back a bit nervously, self conscious of being called lovely and famous. but extends her paw for a handshake "Hi, nice to meet you Ray."  
Ray notices that Nick had a slight reaction to that, and decides to test his theory. Instead of returning Judy' handshake he instead takes her paw, bend over and kisses the back of it.  
"I must say you are even more beautiful in person then you look on TV."  
Judy reacts by turning her head with a shy smile, but Ray is more interested in Nick's reaction. Just behind Nicks trademark smirk, a flash of jealousy.  
'Really, Nick? A bunny? Thats interesting' Ray thinks to himself.  
"It's good to see you Nick." Ray says out loud "It's been what? 4 years? How are things going, your mom doing good? So what do you want?" Ray's voice turning serious at the last question.  
"Oh come on pal, can't one fox come visit his cousin without it having to be about wanting something?" Nick says, familiar smile firmly in place.  
"Since when have you ever dropped in, unannounced, without needing something from me, come on out with it." Ray responds chidingly.  
Nick drops his head a bit and says.  
"We need a car."  
"Oh! Thats all? You can borrow the four by four. I'll get the keys."  
"No Ray, a CAR." Nick says.  
At this Ray starts to get nervous.  
"The Rat rod?" Ray asks with a slightly shaky voice as he motions to the parking spot outside the shop.

In the spot sits a supped up very early model car, covered in rust except for the pristine and highly polished oversized engine hanging out of the front. The car's suspension has been modified so the frame almost touches the ground and large polished exhaust pipes come out from just in front of the doors and are angled up. On the door, a symbol has been painted. Three black circles, one large on the bottom and two smaller ones on top that sort of resemble ears.

Nick looks at Ray and shakes his head.  
"I know you have something hidden away, you always have something fast, we need that. We are in a hurry."  
"We have to get to BunnyBurrow as fast as we can, it's official police business" Judy chimes in.  
"I don't know." Ray says reaching behind his head with one paw and scratching an itch. "After what happened last time you took one of my cars."  
"What happened last time?" Judy asks  
"Nothing, nothing important" Nick retorts nervously. "That's a story for another day."  
"Yeah, A story that includes the words 'end over end tumble' and 'fireball'" counters Ray.  
Judy looks at Nick like a parent finding their child with their paw in the cookie jar then turns back to Ray.  
"We really need to get there as fast as possible and we don't have a cruiser right now and…"  
"And who's fault is that?" Nick cuts in.  
It's Judy's turn to look like a scolded child.  
"Look Ray, I promise you, nothing will happen to it, you have my word."  
Ray sighs, head down.  
"OK, Fine. there is a car in the other bay, the keys are in it." He looks up right at Nick. "But if you so much as put one dent in it I will have your hide."  
With that Nick turns around and starts to walk into the shop. He turns his head and says over his shoulder.  
"Don't worry, I will treat it like my own. Come on Carrots, I told you he would help us."  
"I swear, one scratch and you will pay. I am going to go over it with a magnifying glass. You take care of her." Ray yells out to Nick, who has already made it to the door to the adjacent garage.  
Judy starts to follow but is stopped by Ray's hand on her shoulder.  
"Miss Hopps?" Ray says softly. "Take care of him, will you?"  
Judy answers with a nod and skips off after Nick.

Toast, who had been watching this whole exchange with amusement from behind the small counter steps forward as the sound of a powerful engine comes to life from outside, followed by the sound of screeching tires.  
"I'm never gonna see that car again, will I?" Ray asks with a sigh, staring out the window as a green car barrels out of the driveway and heads down the street.  
"Nope." answers the weasel.  
"Damn, I was gonna take it out tonight."  
"There's no races tonight. You got a private match lined up?"  
"Nope, a hot date."  
"Who's the lucky vixen?"  
"Not a vixen, a coyote."  
"That nurse?"  
"Doctor, thank you very much. Doctor Sharon Wiley."  
"Thought she said she would never date a patient?"  
"Not a patient anymore. Last appointment was a week ago. Although I might need a checkup later tonight." Ray comments with a smirk not unlike Nick's.

With that Ray heads back into the shop and Toast goes back to the paperwork piled on the counter.

* * *

Ok, I admit this whole scene came about just to cram in the "rat rod" pun. If you are unfamiliar with what a rat rod is, just do a google image search.


	4. Back in the ER

Back in the E.R.

Sahara Square General Hospital Emergency Room. About 2 and a half months after "Ray's Story"

Ray sits up on an examination table, legs hanging off the side. Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black button down shirt, half unbuttoned, he clutches a now red stained towel to his left forearm and has a pained expression on his muzzle. Sharon, a worried looking female coyote dressed in a t-shirt and shorts stands next to him.

"Mr. Volpe?" a badger wearing a nurses outfit asks as she pull aside the curtain. "I am Nurse Randall, and I will be taking care of you today."  
"We have a laceration on the left forearm, going to need a local and five or six sutures…." The coyote begins but stops when she sees the slightly amused expression on the badgers face. "Sorry. Doctor Wiley, from Amazon general over in the rainforest. Sorry, just used to taking care of things, you know?"  
"That's quite alright doc. So Ray, what happened here."  
Ray, smiling at the coyote says. "We were in the kitchen, um"  
"Baking" Sharon says a little too quickly, much to the amusement of the nurse.  
"Yeah, baking, when I slipped and knocked over a cutting board with a pile of strawberries and one very sharp knife on it. Caught the knife with my arm and ruined the strawberries." with this he makes an exaggerated pouting expression.  
"I'll buy you some more strawberries." Sharon says to this.  
Nurse Randall looks between the two with a smile and says.  
"Let me get a look at that and we will see what we need."  
As she removes the towel from Rays arm he breathes in sharply, causing Sharon to wince in sympathy. Revealed from under the towel, a gash in the foxes arm grows red slowly as blood oozes out.  
"Oh yeah, thats a good one." Remarks the nurse. "We will get it cleaned up and looks like it will need, lets see, a local anesthetic and about five or six sutures?" she looks at the coyote and they share a smile. "I will be right back with the supplies, Ray, just keep pressure on it." she pulls the curtain back around as she walks away.

"Dammit." Ray remarks, muzzle expressionless.  
"What?" Sharon asks with worry on her face.  
"Just thought of something."  
"What is it?" The worried expression growing.  
"Never thought it was true, but here we are"  
"Tell me Ray, What is it?"  
You were right."  
With this Sharon's expression starts to turn to confusion.  
"About what?"  
"Remember when I was lying in the hospital were you work?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You said that you would put a fox like me right back in the E.R. And, well, look at us now."  
Sharon narrows here eyes in mock anger.  
"I'm gonna kill you, fox, worrying my like that."  
Ray, leans over and rest his head on the coyote's shoulder.  
"Hopefully you will take your time, like, maybe a few decades or so?"  
She leans her head over on top of his and puts her arm around his shoulder.  
"Hmmmm If you're lucky, fox."


	5. Working' for the Man

Working' for the Man

Industrial Area, Sahara Square, 3 months after Ray's Story

Ray inches his car forward, readying it for the race ahead. He feels uncomfortable despite the familiar surroundings. He looks over at the source of his discomfort, his opponent for this race, dressed in a red sweatshirt, with multiple piercings in his ears, nose and muzzle, a hyena, and a drug kingpin known for killing mammals that get in his way Known only as 'Choker'.

"Tell me again why I am doing this?" Ray says to the empty car.  
"Because you are a good citizen and want to help the ZPD catch a very bad mammal." replies a voice from the small transceiver hidden in his ear.  
"Riiiiight. risking my life for the good of many."  
"We have your back if anything goes wrong. just remember the code word." says Officer Stanmen, the voice on the other end.  
"What was it? Oh yeah, 'Hey, that's my spleen'."  
"Are all you foxes this annoying or is it just your family?"  
"You met Nick? How is he doing?"  
"Only once, and he would not shut up… speaking of, concentrate on the race."  
"Yes dear." Ray replies sarcastically.

The white and black fox inches his car up, being directed by a lion standing in the road. when both cars are staged they turn their attention to a female fox in very tight shorts and a tank top that barely leaves anything to the imagination.  
"The flag girls seem to wear less and less at these things, not that I'm complaining. Woof!"  
"Ray, the race, focus!" chides the hippo on the radio.  
"Yeah yeah."

At this the Fox girl drops the bandana she was holding to signal the start and both cars leave the line. The race is really no contest as Ray pulls ahead early and keeps pulling away till the end. The conversation continues between the fox and the hippo officer as Ray loops around back to the start.

"Well that was easy." Ray says nonchalantly.  
"I have to admit, your car is fast Volpe"  
"This thing? Just wait till I get the new turbo for it."  
"I'm sure the guys in traffic will be thrilled."  
"Oh they love me. Oh there is that vixen again, wow that is nice."  
"Don't you have a girlfriend?"  
"And I love her with all my heart. But that doesn't mean I can't look."  
A sigh can be heard through the earpiece. "Males. Ok Volpe, get to work."

Ray steps out of his car, retrieving his cane, as the hyena and his crew make their way over.  
"You jumped fox, we all saw it." The hyena says, as his crew, a mix of hyenas and dingos, nod and murmur their agreement.  
"We left the same time, it was a clean race."  
"No, you jumped." the small crowd getting more vocal and agitated.  
"Listen pal." Ray says much to the annoyance of the hyena. "I left on time, not like it matters, I could have given you a three car head start with the way your wagon is running."  
"And what is wrong with my car, huh?" Choker says standing now right in front of Ray, towering over him.  
"What's not, the thing is running too rich on the low end and starving at the top. And do not even get me started about your NOS, surprised you don't grenade the engine on every run."  
"What does a little fox like you know cars huh?"  
Ray looks at the hyena with a hurt expression. He motions to his chest with both paws.  
"Ray Volpe? Volpe Automotive? Best tuner in all Zootopia? Come on. Don't tell me you never heard of me?"  
"Can't say I have."  
Ray opens his mouth up to say something but decides better of it. He instead says.  
"I can probably fix that fuel map in like five minutes and undo what whatever hack messed it up to begin with." With that one of the dingos in the crowd yells "Hey!"  
"Can it, frank!" the hyena shouts to his pack mate. "Go on, fox."  
"Well, the timing for your nitrous is probably way off too, and I won't even hazard a guess on the plumbing. Tell you what. Let me grab my laptop and I will fix the fuel map for free. If you like my work bring it down to my shop in Savanna Central and I will get this thing rolling the right way. For a small fee of course."  
"Alright, lets see what you got, little fox. But if you mess anything up, I'll kill you." The hyena says barring his teeth.  
"Trust me. Like I said, I'm the best."

As Ray reaches into the back seat of his car, Officer Stanmen's voice in his earpiece chimes in.  
"Alright now get his phone and plug the device in, it will take a few seconds to crack his phone so you have to keep it out of sight."  
"I know Dawn, we went over this a hundred times."  
"Well I just don't want another pretty girl to walk past and you to forget what you were doing."  
"You offering to dress up in a bikini and strut around down here?"  
Another sigh over the air. "I should arrest you for assault with dumb jokes."  
"Ouch, that hurt officer."  
"Just get it done and get out."  
"OK, mom."

Ray walks over to the hyena's car, a bright red Herd Frakus, with his laptop bag in one hand, and cane, clicking on the pavement, in the other.  
"Alright, lets see what this mess looks like." he says to the waiting hyena.  
He opens the door and sees his target, a phone holder with the drug lords aPhone sitting in it. Police surveillance reported that the only time it was not in the hyena's possession was when it was in his car, but he never let the car out of his sight when he was racing. That is why the ZPD 'volunteered' Ray to help get close.  
Ray climbs in and is about to grab the phone when the passenger door opens, the hyena drops down into the seat next to Ray and asks.  
"So can you really make my car faster by plugging that thing in?"  
The fox slides the laptop out of the case and sets it on the dash, then, he removes the cables from the bag and sets the now empty bag upside down over the phone holder, blocking it from the hyena's view.  
"Fast comes when I can get this sled in the shop. I am just gonna unlock what it should do with the hardware you got already."  
Ray reaches under the dash and plugs the cables into the computer access port for the car, he then opens his laptop and starts the tuning program.

After a few moments Ray has downloaded the cars current configuration to his laptop and is going over it, the whole time the hyena watching him intently. Making it still to risky to access the phone.  
"Just as I though. this mapping is for a different cam setup and even then I would only use it as a baseline."  
He types on the keyboard and the numbers and graphs change.  
"Now this one should be closer to what you need. Lets see how it runs with it."  
He waits for a progress bar to finish then starts the car, he opens a screen that displays live data then hands the laptop over to the hyena.  
"Here, watch the fuel pressure and tell me if it drops below 12."  
Choker takes the laptop and stares at it intently. Ray seeing his chance slips the small black box from his pocket and reaches under the bag while he revs the engine and pretends to watch the dash gauges.  
"Oh, oh, it went down to 14 but it didn't drop anymore." The hyena says like a little kid with a new toy. Ray smiles at fact that this big tough gang leader is so engrossed in some flashing numbers and graphs.  
Just then a faint voice whispers over the headset. "Got it."  
Ray slides his hand back under the bag to the phone and unplugs the box, the hyena just then looks up at him.  
"It's all good?"  
His eyes fall to the bag.  
"Yeah, all good. Here's my card." Ray quickly swaps the box for a business car he luckily had stashed in one of the pockets in his bag.  
He quickly packs the cables and laptop back in the bag, careful to keep the small black box out of sight and turns to the hyena.  
"Ok do a few runs with it and see how she is, but don't touch the nitrous until you get it re-jetted. Unless you want your pistons to shoot out of the hood. If you bring it to the shop I can give it a full work over, but bring cash." With a smile ray turns and walks back to his car.

"Let's never do that again." He mumbles through clenched teeth.  
"You did fine, fox." replies Stanmen over the comms.


	6. It Was a Setup

It Was a Setup

Sharon's apartment, Savanna Central, Early morning a few days later.

Ray limps out of a bedroom, eyes half closed, in a upscale apartment near Riverside in Savanna Central, He is dressed in a pair of tan shorts and a black t-shirt with the Conga Car companies logo on the front. He pauses to lean against a door frame and admire the sight in front of him. Sun shines in through a window, illuminating the light brown fur of a female coyote, dressed in a t-shirt that just barely covers everything important, and nothing else. She stands in front of a white kitchen counter waiting for a coffee maker to finish.

"Good morning beautiful." Ray says.  
"Morning honey." Sharon replies. "Coffee?"  
"Gods you're an angel, yes please."  
He makes his way to the light colored wooden table and plops down into one of the chairs.  
"You were tossing and turning last night. Leg hurting you?" Sharon asks as she pours the pot of coffee into two plain white cups.  
"Leg's fine."  
"Nightmares?" she asks as she puts a cup in front of ray and sips from her own.  
Ray just shrugs as he picks up the mug in both paws and sips cautiously.  
"About _that_ night?" she says standing next to the groggy fox.  
With this ray raises one eyebrow and turns his head towards her.  
"What do you know about that night?"  
Sharon looks at him over the steaming coffee cup in her hands  
"I'm the doctor that put you back together, remember? I know it must have been a horrible experience for you. You are bound to be affected by it, no matter what sly mask you wear on the outside. Besides, Dawn filled me in on some of the details."  
Ray's mouth drops open.  
"Wait, you know Officer Stanmen?"  
"Yeah, she comes into the hospital all the time working for the ZPD, We've know each other for years."  
"I smell a setup… did she..?" Ray's eyes narrow a bit as he turns fully to face Sharon.  
"She did not make me go out with you if that is what you are asking." Sharon says sternly. She continues a bit softer. "She may have given me a nudge when I mentioned I was interested in this cute fox that was flirting with me. Said he was a good guy, if a bit annoying at times."  
Rays smile returns. "I don't know if I should smack her or thank her for that."  
Sharon leans over and kisses the fox.  
Ray then says. "Mmm. Definitely should thank her."  
Sharon stands up and starts heading deeper into the apartment. "We'll talk about this later tonight. I have to get ready for work, so hurry up and shower because you ARE walking me to the subway station today."  
"We can take my car."  
"I like the subway, besides you have to be at work too, you will never make it to the hospital and back in time to open."  
"I'll call in sick, I know the boss."  
"You are the boss."  
"And don't you forget it."

The shirt Sharon was wearing flies out of the room she walked into but fails to make it to all the way to the fox sitting smugly at the kitchen table. He sits back and continues to sip on his coffee, determined to finish at least one cup before he is forced to stand up and start the day.

* * *

I liked doing this one, short but cute. next story might be a little while, I am doing the story of the car crash ray was involved in 2 years prior to Ray's Story. and it's taking some effort. and will be a bit longer. I actually got the next warm and fuzzy romantic story roughed out but I want to space them out a bit with the drama and adventure types as to not drown you all in fluffy love crap. ;)


	7. Flying Fox

Flying Fox

Mountainside Park, on the border of Downtown and The Rainforest District, about 2 years before Ray's Story

Tires squeal as a single pair of headlights cut through the night up the dark mountain road. A grey Herd Frakus maneuvers with ease around the sharp bends in the road. Ray is not pushing it tonight, it is only a test run and there is no opponent to beat, but he is not taking it slow either. His mind is busy though, racing faster then the car he is driving. Thoughts about how the suspension feels, the gearing in certain corners, he thinks about the brakes and how there is a little too much fade for his liking and what parts he will change to get the desired result. As he enters the roundabout at the end of this stretch of road he makes a mental note to check the computer when he gets to the bottom as it seems to be a little lean when it gets to the higher altitude at the turn around for the 'mountain run'.

These thoughts continue on the way down, until a sudden noise erases all of these thoughts from his head. It started as a series of three thumps and concluded with a bang as the rear tire of his car blows out in the middle of a turn. The entire event less then a second. But with disastrous consequences. Now, Ray's reaction to the noise was fast, he was off the gas and turning the wheel to correct the slide almost before it began, but the damaged tire gave him no chance to retain control and he knew it. All he could do is brace himself for the impact with the guardrail that the knew was coming next. The impact never came. Instead of the loud crunch, he is treated with silence. The tires stop howling on the pavement, and the only sounds are of the engine revving down and wind washing over the body of the car.

It was the view through the windshield that scared Ray the most. He saw the mountain side he was driving next to receding, then the guardrail that he should have hit, came into view, but instead of the smooth side next to the road he saw the supports and the back of the rail. The realization struck that he had gone over the edge and was now flying through the air. A scream exits his muzzle and his eyes go wide. The beams of his lights pan away from the mountainside and into the empty night air, plunging him into darkness. The rear of the car strikes a tree limb first with a loud crack. This sends the car tumbling into the trees below. What was once quiet is now a maelstrom of snapping tree limbs, bending metal, and breaking glass. The scene before him is flashes of brown and green, with occasional yellow sparks until an impact in the front of the car smashes both headlights once again plunging him into darkness. a particularly hard impact signals the mangled car landing on the ground, Dirt and pine needles are kicked up into the cabin of the car as it rolls down the hill. Everything suddenly comes to a stop as the car smashes, drivers door first, into the trunk of a large pine tree, knocking the fox out with the impact.

Ray awakens to the taste of wood in his mouth and a pounding headache. He opens his eyes to find himself still in his car, or whats left of it, resting at a shallow angle against a pine tree. Still night, the only sounds come from a distant stream and his own labored breathing, the only light from the full moon overhead. He starts on a self check trying to figure out his injures. His head is throbbing, and a quick check with his paw confirms that he is bleeding from the side of his head. His jaw is sore, no doubt from hitting the tree with his muzzle as is evident by the taste of bark. Ribs, hurt but not too bad, back ok, legs… Panic races through rays body, he is unable to move his left leg. Somehow during the crash it got pushed between the seat frame and he door and is now pinned by the bent bodywork of the car. He pushes at the mangled door with all his strength but it will not budge.

"Ok! Ok! Relax Ray. Calm." he says to himself as he forces himself to slow his breathing.

Ray turns and reaches to the phone holder mounted to the center console only to meet utter disappointment as he finds it empty. He looks around, but the location of his phone remains a mystery.

"This officially sucks now." He feels like yelling for help, but he knows nobody is around. The park closed, and he told no-one that he was coming up here to test. Utterly alone, he rests his head on the steering wheel and closes his eyes.

Ray awakens again to the sound of something tapping on the roof of the car. a feeling of nausea washes over him when he lifts his head, but he fights back the urge to empty his stomach and tries to find the source of the noise. The light of the new day is starting to show but it is muted and soft. Ray knows with daylight the park will open. It's lightly raining, he realizes, the tapping, drops, falling from the tree above.

"At least someone is bound to see me down here, right?" he says to the forest around him.

He once again tries to free is leg but it remains stuck, he is relieved to discover that he can move his foot and it does not appear to be injured too severely. Just immobilized by the twisted metal, and a bit of tingling in his foot signaling that the blood flow is restricted by the pressure.

A sudden realization hits him. The rain will chase away many of the people that would otherwise frequent the park. lessening his chance of discovery.

"Dammit. dammit dammit dammit!" He shouts while pounding on the steering wheel.  
"Ow." he then mutters looking at his now bruised paw.  
"Yeah, lets hurt myself more."

The dizziness reminds him of his head injury. He reaches over to the rear view mirror and tries to angle his head to see where the bleeding was coming from, but he can't quite get the angle right. so he yanks on the mirror, ripping it from the destroyed windscreen and brings it in front of his muzzle. He see a fresh wound in front of his ear, and the fur below it turning brown from the drying blood.

"You look like crap, Ray."  
"Why thank you."  
"Hey, just being honest."  
"Here I am, stuck in a wreck, at the bottom of a cliff, in the middle of the woods, and now I am talking to myself. Yeah, I'm doing good."  
He decides it must be the concussion causing it.

For about an hour the fox tries, and fails, to figure out a way to free his leg. Pushing and pulling, trying to find something to pry with, all for nought. His attempts are interrupted by the sound of an engine up on the hill. The ranger doing his morning patrol.

"HEY, HEY, DOWN HERE, HELP!" Yells Ray. but the sound soon fades as the ranger drives past. the only thing accomplished is his headache has gotten worse.  
"Like he was ever gonna hear you." He scolds himself.

As he stares at the steering wheel, he thinks that maybe he might hear the horn. Ray presses on the center of the wheel but the car remains silent. he turns the key off and on but there is no power to anything in the car.

"Yeah, that would be too easy."

For the next few hours, or what feels like several lifetimes to Ray, the fox just looks around and stares at anything he can see. Hoping that some kind of solution will present itself. Craning his neck he scans behind him but the view is the same, trees, dirt grass. Somewhere in that time, the ranger passes again, but Ray, feeling defeated, doesn't even call out. Feeling utterly hopeless and still dizzy from the head wound he puts his head back and closes his eyes.

With a jolt the fox opens his eyes, and immediately regrets it. The pain in his head is significantly greater, and he feels as if the stationary car is spinning around him.

"Uhhh, just let me die already and be done with it."  
"That's it? giving up already?"  
"Just facing the facts, nobody knows I'm here, keep passing out from a head injury. Things aren't looking good."  
"Don't forget the talking to yourself."  
"Yeah. There's that."  
"I wonder what my funeral will be like?"  
"I'm sure Toast will do something nice, although he might just shove me in a box and drop me in the ground."  
"Probably deserve it for being this stupid."  
"Yeah, let's go up the mountain, at night, alone, with an untested car, without telling anyone."  
"Hell, I even locked the gate behind me so nobody would know I broke in."  
"That was particularly brilliant, dumbass."  
"That is was."  
"That should be my headstone. 'Here lies Ray Volpe, Died being a dumbass'."  
"Has a nice ring to it."

Ray takes the mirror he removed from the windshield before and uses it to look outside the car, he only has a few inches out the back of the window that is not blocked by the pine, be he is able to angle the mirror to look up the hill.

"Damn, I can't even see the road, Nobody is going to see me here."  
He pans the mirror around to look at the cars remains, arching an eyebrow at what he sees, or doesn't see.  
"Were did the motor go?"  
He scans around, but fails to find the missing engine.  
"Wow, when I break things, I go all the way, don't I?"

He brings the mirror back inside and wipes the rain off of it. he then uses it to look inside he car where he can't see due to his limited range of motion. He spots something under the passenger seat that brings hope, a tire iron, maybe something to pry the door away from his trapped leg.

The next two hours is spent in utter frustration and pain and ray tries every possible way of twisting, stretching and bending trying to reach the tool. He finally gives up and once again lets himself drift off to sleep.

A song breaks the silence of the night, 'We Didn't Start the Fire' by Billy Mole. The ringtone Ray assigned to Toast's calls as a kinda teasing joke. He phone is still working, but where. He listens carefully and realizes it is coming from outside the car. Using the mirror he scans where he thinks the noise is coming from. He spots some light, about ten feet away against another tree.

"That helps, not at all." he says tossing the mirror onto the dash.  
"Hi, this is Ray, sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but I'm stuck in my car at the foot of a mountain slowly dying. Beep."  
"Hey Ray, It's Toast, when you die, can I have all your stuff?"  
"Sure, not like I am gonna need it."  
He looks out into the night.  
"At least is stopped raining."

Ray sits back and listens to the sounds of the forest. Rushing water can be heard from the stream at the bottom of the valley. Some leaves rustle with the breeze and the occasional creak of wood from the trees gently swaying in the forest. The fox finds that the soft sounds calm him. He decides that if this is going to be his final resting place, it is not bad at all. He closes his eyes again and falls into a deep restful sleep.

A been of light hits the fox directly in the eye, waking him from his slumber. A beam of sunlight from the dawning day is striking the shattered window and illuminating the interior of the car with multiple beams of light all the colors of the rainbow. One of these beams has hit the mirror and bounced into Ray's face. He smiles as the multi colored light show triggers memories in his mind. He remembers sitting in the living room of his childhood home watching the light stream through the sun catchers placed in the window by his mother.

"Oh Ma, I guess you were right. These cars are going to kill me." He says up to the sky.  
"I would promise you that I would never race again if you were to give me a little divine help here, but you and I both know that would be a lie."  
He thinks for a bit.  
"How about this, I promise, if I ever get out of this mess, I will make it safer. I will build my cars better, with every safety feature I can, and no more mountain races. I will find a real track to run at. If I can't find one I will build one. How about that, mom?"

Ray's answer came in the form of intense pain in his leg. He does his best to flex and stretch his left leg in its metal prison, trying to get the blood circulating in the compressed limb. He looks back up to the sky about to say something, but thinks better of it.

Realizing his headache has faded a bit, he uses the mirror to check the gash on his head. He sees it is scabbed over and and there is a large lump where his head met the tree, but it does't look as life threatening as it did the first day.

"I guess death from blunt force trauma is out, so I guess dehydration is next up." His stomach growls. "Or starvation."  
"So, whats for breakfast?"  
"Well, you have your choice of nothing, nothing or bitter disappointment."  
"Does the Bitter Disappointment come with eggs?"  
"Nope."  
"I guess I will have the nothing then."

Ray spends the next hour idly picking moss off the tree he is stuck against. When he has cleared a space about a foot wide and six inches tall he starts to carve into the wood with a claw. When he finishes he admires his work with a half smile. The words 'Here lies Ray Volpe, Died being a dumbass' lay etched into the tree.

"Maybe a ranger will come and ticket me for carving up his tree."  
"Or he can ticket my corpse."  
He envisions a Ranger stuffing a summons in the mouth of a skeletal fox still stuck in a mangled car.  
"Good luck getting me to pay that one." he says with a chuckle.  
A few moments later the sound of the rangers truck can be heard driving up the road.  
"Hey, you should come down here, I am messing up your park, not to mention littering."  
The vehicle passes without a response.

After a while more cars start to use the road. Ray keeps himself occupied trying to guess the make and model from the sound alone. He then tries to find other 'games' to keep his mind off the predicament his is in. He starts to count the pieces of the front windscreen but abandons that when he realizes he counted the same section twice. He then comes up with names for each of the trees that he can see surrounding his car. He thinks extra carefully when naming the tree he is currently stuck against.

"I think I will call you Marty."  
"Hi Marty, I'm Ray. I hope we can be friends as it seems we are stuck with each other for all eternity. Oh, I'm sorry for carving my epitaph into you."  
"Great, I have gone from talking to myself to talking to trees."  
"As long as the tree doesn't answer."  
"What do say to that, Marty?"  
The tree remains silent.  
"Thats's what I thought."

Sometime in the day Ray has gotten so desperate for stimulation that he is working the knobs and switches of the radio and mimicking the different stations and singing his version of the songs that would play, if the radio had power.  
"Oh oh oh oh oh, Try everything!." he sings, very off key.  
"Gods, if I knew dying was going to be so boring I would have brought a book."  
Just then an unusual sound catches his ear. The rangers truck has returned but this time it sounds like it has stopped. Rays heart races and he is about to call out when he hears it start to move again.  
"Thanks for getting my hopes up, jerk" he mumbles to the unseen ranger.  
He hears truck stop again a bit down the road and then a few moments later a door closing. Again he readies a yell but he hears the engine take the truck down the road once more.  
"Jerk."

As the day progressed, the temperature rose. The sun beating down on the car from a clearing in the trees is turning it into an oven. Ray now shirtless to try and cool off, is panting fiercely.  
"Hey, maybe I'll just turn on the air conditioner."  
He reaches over turns the knob on the dashboard. and puts his hands in front of the vent, pretending that air is blowing out.  
"Oh yeah, much better."  
His head bows as he can't even spare the energy for his normal sarcastic wit.  
"Kill me now."  
"Hello?" a distant voice calls out.  
"Am I hearing things now? Hello!" Ray calls out.  
"My gods, is someone alive in there?"  
"Yeah! Ummmm help!"  
"Hold on, I am coming up there."  
Ray cranes his neck to look around the tree and sees a deer with a green and brown rangers uniform climbing up the hill towards him.  
"Are you hurt in there?" shouts the ranger as he gets closer.  
"Not bad, just really really stuck."  
"We'll get you out of there." He grabs a portable radio from his belt and keys the mic. "Ranger Salten to dispatch."  
"Go ahead Salten." A female voice crackers over the radio.  
"We have a car off the road with occupant trapped and… stand by. hey, anyone with you?"  
"No, I'm alone."  
"Ok." He keys the mic again "We have one entrapment. We are going to need high angle rescue and extraction, car is about 100 yards down the slope from mile marker 8."  
"Received, dispatching rescue and ambulance."  
"Ok pal, help is on the way." the ranger says to Ray.  
"Thank you, I am sorry for calling you a jerk."  
"What?"  
"Never mind.. I guess you had to be there."

Mountainside Park, 3 months later.

Ray wanders through the woods with his phone in front of him, he wanders for a bit, glancing around then moving again looking at the GPS on his phone. Soon enough he find what he is looking for. A patch of the forest floor, still torn apart and scarred from where his car crashed and the later removal of the wreck by the salvage crew. He locates the tree he spent that time pinned to easily enough after that. He doesn't even know why he came back here, he just felt drawn.

Ray stands silently, just staring at the words carved into the tree. 'Here lies Ray Volpe, Died being a dumbass'. He slowly reaches out and puts his paw to the bark, and the emotions hit him like a freight train. He collapses onto his knees and sobs uncontrollably. Thoughts of his mother. Thoughts of his grandfather. Thought of his brush with death all come flooding out. Not since he was a teen at his mothers funeral, cradled in his grandfathers arms has he cried like this. Not even at his grandpa's funeral a decade later did he shed anything but a few tears. He stay there for fifteen minutes, on his knees arm outstretched to the tree letting all the emotions, build up over years wash over him.

Finally he stands, wiping his eyes with a paw, an enormous weight lifted off his shoulders. And he starts to smile, claw tracing at the words he carved before. Suddenly he digs at the trunk with his claws, scratching out 4 of the words, leaving the other four. He turns and sits with his back against the tree, enjoying the stillness of the forest. Right above his head, like a sort of label, reads 'Ray Volpe, a dumbass'.


	8. Big Step

Big Step

Sharon's Apartment, Savana Central, midnight, about 5 months after Ray's Story

Ray and Sharon lay on a couch watching the lights flicker from the fake fireplace mounted against the wall, Ray, laying against the arm of the couch, has Sharon's head on his chest and is idly stroking the fur on her ears. Sharon meanwhile has rays tail in her paws and is petting it like a small animal. There are bottles and cups scattered around the room and plates with crumbs and unfinished pieces of cake and food. A sign hangs on one wall that says 'Happy Birthday' in multi colored letters.

"I really enjoyed myself tonight, thank you." Ray say softly.  
"I'm glad, when was the last time you had a birthday party hmm?"  
"Not since I was little. Me and Toast just usually buy each other a six-pack on our respective birthdays."  
"We will have to throw him one too then." Sharon chuckles. "He really enjoyed himself, must have gone through two whole bottles of wine himself."  
"Yeah, for a runt, he sure can knock em back. Hope Dawn got him home alright, although he probably will not let me live it down that I had a cop drive him home. Oh, and did you see Pete talking to Dawn's friend?"  
"No, why."  
"He kept telling stories about him racing and running from the cops, I don't think he had any idea they were both ZPD."  
"No way!, I wish I saw that."  
"Yeah, probably should have warned some of the crew that the fuzz were going to be here."  
"That wouldn't be as fun."  
"No fun at all."  
"Speaking of fun, we need to clean some of this up before we go to bed."  
"Look at the time, I have to get going."  
Sharon grabs Ray's tail to her chest. "Oh no you don't, fox. You are not getting out of it that easy, besides, I saw how much YOU drank tonight, you are staying here buddy."  
"Oh no, I have to spend another night, in luxury, at my beautiful girlfriend's place." he states, dripping with sarcasm. He uses his claw to tickle the hairs inside one of her ears, making it twitch, much to his amusement and her annoyance.  
"Poor you." she says swatting his hand away. "Speaking of which, I have been meaning to ask you. You make good money at your shop, why do you continue to live in that hole in the ground you call an apartment? Don't tell me you spend it all on cars now, do you?"  
"Nah, the cars pretty much pay for themselves, between the races and when I sell them off. Most of the money goes into savings for, future plans. You know. bigger shop, better things."  
"Better things? And not one of those is a better living space?"  
"Don't need much, just a bed and a bathroom, besides, I have been spending most of my time here lately."  
"So why don't you move in?"  
"Did you just suggest we move in together? Are you sure you could put up with me that much?"  
Sharon turns around so she is nose to nose with Ray.  
"Why not, it's cheaper for you, and I can keep a better eye on you, you know, making sure you don't bring home any busty vixen flag girls."  
"Uuuugh, I wish Dawn never told you about that. I was just looking, I swear. I would never ever stray, you know that."  
"You better not." She says poking a claw into his chest. "So, you moving in?"  
"I have to think about it."  
"Fine, think about it while you help me clean up." she pushes herself up to a sitting position and offers Ray a hand.  
"Yes" Ray says smiling as he takes her hand and gets up himself.  
"Yes, what?" She says, head cocked.  
"I thought about it. I'll move in."  
Sharon laughs. "That didn't take long."  
"Easy decision. I get better digs and I get to spend more time with you. Win win."  
"Good. Now help me clean OUR home up." She stands up and looks to him expectantly.  
"Thats what tomorrows are for. Lets go to sleep now."  
"No! Do you want the food the spoil? The cake?"  
"Not the strawberry cake, nooooo save the cake." Ray says in mock panic as he shuffles for the kitchen arms outstretched.  
Sharon grabs him by the tail, stopping him.  
"I'll get the food, you clean up in here, or no cake for you." She say pointing at him like she is scolding a child.  
"Yes dear." Ray says hanging his head, but even that can't hide the smile he has on his muzzle as he starts to pick up the debris from the party.


	9. Nightmares and Memories

Nightmares and Memories

A fox stalks his prey silently through a dark hallway. The scent of his quarry fresh, full of fear. Hobbling on three legs, his back right leg injured from the lion he took on before, he searches in the dimly lit building ignoring the pain. He finds it, cowering in the corner of a room in the back. Glancing around in panic at the darkness, his next kill does not see the fox slowly stalk toward him. A growl echoes though the empty room and sends the quivering mammal deeper into panic. Ray lunges at the panda's head.

Ray sits bolt upright, panting heavily as the nightmare wakes him. He looks around at the room he is in, no panda, no blood, just the the bedroom in the place he has called home for over a month. He forces his breathing to slow, paw to his chest, heart pounding. Glancing to his left he is relieved to see the form of a female coyote, slowly breathing, deep in slumber. He hates it when his nightmares wake Sharon up, But they have been becoming more frequent, and more vivid. He carefully gets out of the bed and limps his way through the living room an into the open kitchen area. Opening the fridge, he blinks and has to squint as the bright light inside hurts his sensitive eyes. He reaches in and brings out a bottle of Tiger's Head beer, and quickly closes the door, killing the light.

As the white and black fox sits in the dark on the couch, nursing his beer, he hears a gentle footfall behind him.  
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." he says to the figure that appears behind him.  
"Nightmares again?" Sharon asks, knowing the answer.  
"Yeah, same ones."  
Sharon is ready to ask him to open up, demand that he sees someone and talks about it. She readies herself for a repeat of the argument that has happened time and time again at this very spot over the coarse of the last few weeks, when Ray interrupts with a question of his own.  
"When I arrived at the hospital, where my injuries… did they look like I was attacked or was I the one… ?" he trails off.  
"Ray, I…"  
"The nightmares, they are getting clearer. They don't fade like a dream." he says eyes closed. "I'm remembering things, its not in my head." He turns to Sharon "What did it look like when I got to the E.R. ?"  
"You were in pretty bad condition, we though you were going to lose your leg."  
"Sharon, not that stuff. Did it look like I attacked those mammals in that lab?"  
"You… You had a lot of blood on your face and paws… too much for your own injuries. Your claws were… dirty. Look Ray, whatever happened in there. We don't know all the details. The Night Howler extract in your blood…"  
"I killed them didn't I? I killed all of them. I'm some kind of monster." Ray says, head down in his paws, ears back against his head.  
Sharon walk around the couch and sits next to Ray. She wraps her arms around him and presses the top of her head against his muzzle.  
"You saved those girls. Everything you did was to protect them, and they have a life now, because of you. You are a hero, not a monster."  
"I can't… I don't know how to deal with this." he wraps his arms around Sharon "I'm scared."  
"I am here with you. I will help you. We will get through this, together."  
Ray just hugs Sharon tighter.


	10. 100 Yard Dash

100 yard dash  
Volpe Automotive, Savanna Central, 6 1/2 months after Ray's Story

"No, I don't believe you." Toast says as he wipes his mouth with a paper napkin, having just finished his lunch.  
"I'm telling you, they're a thing." Ray says as he leans back in his chair with a fruit smoothy cup in his paw.  
Both of them are sitting in the front office of the shop around a small table.  
"But, a rabbit?"  
"I'm telling you, He has got it bad for that bunny. Saw them the other day while they were walking around on patrol and he could not keep his eyes off of her, and I am sure it's not one way. She was egging him on the whole time."  
"Isn't there some sort of policy against that kinda thing? I mean they work together and all."  
"I don't know, I can ask Dawn but they may be trying to keep it a secret."  
"So, would you, you know, ever be with a prey like that? I don't think I could."  
"Why not, it can be fun." Ray says with a smile.  
"Wait, you? Who was she? When was this?"  
"Senior year, This sheep girl Melissa. Didn't last long. Her father found out and I thought he was going to kill me."  
"Haha! You seem to have that effect on people. So… how was it?"  
"It was not BaAaAad."  
"Uhh, should have seen that one coming." Toast says as he throws a balled up sandwich wrapper at Ray.  
"Ha. Just don't tell Sharon, she gets jealous easy, should have seen her when we ran into that vixen I dated a few years back. You know, Robin? My gods, the look she gave me could have cut me in two."  
"What ever happened to foxes mating for life?"  
"They weren't mates, they were… girlfriends."  
"And Sharon? Is she a 'mate'?"  
Ray slowly nods his head. "Yeah, she is."

Ray then picks his head up and cocks it slightly as he hears something. After a seconds pause he states.  
"Anyway, I should get back to this clutch job. Want to be done with it before tonight."  
"Since when are you eager to do work."  
"Gotta work to get paid." He says as he heads back into the work bay.  
Just then a red car with two white stripes pulls up in front of the building. Toast looks out as the door opens, slowly.  
"Oh… oh no. Ray, you bastard! I do not want to deal with Flash. I can't listen to him talk all day. Don't you leave me."  
"Sorry! Busy busy busy!" Comes a call from in the shop.

* * *

hmmm who could they be talking about?


	11. A Tale of Tails

A Tale of Tails.

Sharon and Ray's apartment. late evening.

Ray sits at the kitchen table with a pile of papers in front of him. He is only half paying attention to the forms in front of him, as Sharon is at the counter behind him. Her hips swaying to the music that is playing from the living room as she finishes prepping a meal for the next day. Ray reaches behind him and swats at her tail as it swing past his chair.

"Stop it" Sharon says.  
Ray waits for the tail to make another pass and grabs at it, quickly letting go as soon as gets a hold of it.  
"Stop!" Sharon snaps.  
The smiling fox waits a few seconds then makes another grab at her tail, this time she turns around.  
"Raymond Volpe! Stop touching my tail."  
"Why? You are always playing with my tail."  
"Thats different." She says turning back to the task in front of her.  
"Oh really? How?" Ray asks raising an eyebrow.  
"It's me doing it."  
"And that makes all the difference?"  
"Yeah. Besides, your tail is fluffy."  
"Fluffy?" He turns in his chair to look at Sharon.  
"Yes, fluffy, and soft."  
"Fluffy." Ray says like he is trying to figure out the meaning of the word.  
"And I like touching it."  
"Because it's fluffy?"  
"And soft."  
"So you like touching it?"  
"I like touching it."  
A sudden idea hits the fox, and he gets off the chair.  
"You LIKE, touching it?" Ray says, a mischievous grin on his muzzle.

"I like touch…" Sharon stops mid word as Ray walks past her slowly, purposely dragging his 'fluffy' tail across the backs of her lower legs. He looks back over his shoulder as he makes his way out of the kitchen, to the hallway that leads to the bedroom, swinging his tail back and forth in an exaggerated motion. Sharon stands absolutely still, lips pursed, as she watches Ray walk around the corner, pausing to swish his tail back and forth one more time before he pulls it out of sight. Letting a breath out that she didn't realize she was holding, she makes her own way to the bedroom, a little faster then she would care to admit, her previous task forgotten.

* * *

When you find the on switch.


	12. Talking to Marty

Talking to Marty.  
Mountainside Park, 6 1/2 months after Ray's story.

Ray walks through a hiking path in the woods, till he comes to a spot only he recognizes, and makes a right leaving the path. He heads up the hill, cutting through the brush and trees. There is no problem finding the tree he is looking for, the route engrained into his mind from many repetitions. He sits down at the base of the tree, the words, carved into the trunk years ago, barely visible under the moss that has grown back. Putting his head back against the tree, he closes his eyes and takes in the sounds of the forest. He stays that way for almost a half an hour before he starts to speak.

"I don't know what to do, Marty. It's like I don't know who I am."  
"These memories coming back to me, did I really do those things? Or is my mind playing tricks on me? It just seems so real."  
"Maybe Sharon is right, I need to focus on the good. Those girls are safe now."

He sits in silence again for a while.

"It's the feeling I have in the dreams, or memories, whatever they are. I am not scared, I'm not even really angry. I'm… I enjoy it. I liked killing them. It gave me a thrill. Never in my life have I enjoyed fighting or hurting anyone, but that night… "  
"What if I find out it's all true, that I am some sort of horrible… thing that enjoys killing."  
"I need to know, but if I'm right, and I really did those things. What then? Do I lock my self in an asylum?"  
"The only one who knows what happened... I don't want to ask her."  
"I guess I have to." Ray says as he gets up with a sigh. "Thanks again Marty, you are the best listener there is."  
He pats the trunk of the tree and makes his way back to the parking lot.


	13. Setting the bait

Setting the bait.

Somewhere in Sahara Square, about 7 months after Ray's Story.

In a back of a van, crowded with gear, Ray watches a two small monitors on the wall. The van, belonging to the ZPD, is set up for surveillance, with screens and radios spread out on the walls and a bench lining one side. Next to Ray, Officer Dawn Stanmen, a female hippo, sits hunched over looking at a different set of monitors.

"How about him?" Dawn asks as a figure enters her screen.  
Ray presses a button and one of his screens now mirrors Dawn's.  
"Hmmmm no, he's up to no good, but he isn't our thief."  
They both watch as the mammal, a wolf in baggy cloths walks through the night towards, and past a car parked on the side of the road.  
"Don't look so smug, fox." Dawn mumbles.  
"What? This isn't even my smug face, wait till this whole thing works, then I will be smug."  
"Can't wait." She says, rolling her eyes.  
They both sit in silence watching their screens till another mammal walks into view.  
"Maybe this guy?" Ray asks.  
Dawn studies her screen.  
"I…. wait… yeah he's looking. See how his ears perked up when he saw the car?" she says of the deer on their screens.  
"He like what he sees." Ray agrees.  
"Tag Team One, stand by, we might have a customer." Dawn says into a microphone. A single burst of static is the only response as the unseen crew keys their mic, but does not talk.  
They watch as the deer, in a tank top and baggy shorts, walks towards the car and slows. He starts to walk past the car giving it a sideways glance and it looks like he might pass it by.  
"Wait for it…" Ray says expectantly.  
The deer quickly looks up and down the street to see if it is empty then runs to the drivers side of the car. He pulls something from his pants pocket and begins to work on the door.  
"Customer confirmed" Dawn says into the mic. "What is that he is using on the lock?" she asks Ray.  
"Don't know, but it works, he's in."  
An indicator turns from green to red on one of the screens in front of the fox as the door to the car opens. The deer jumps into he car and turns his attention to the ignition switch. Ray flips another switch in front of him and his first monitor now shows an interior shot of the car.  
"Can't see what he is using, his hoof is in the way." Ray says.  
Just then, on the second screen in front of Ray, several more indicators change color.  
"He got it running, and there he goes." Ray says to Dawn as the car starts to move.  
"Tag Team One go, Customer checked out." Then to Ray, "Hold on."  
The vans engine starts and Ray is forced to grab hold of the table to keep from falling off his chair as the rhino in the drivers seat floors the gas.  
"Jeez Sparky, take it easy." Ray says to the front of the van, a grunt is the only response back.  
"Shut up and work your gadgets, fox." Dawn scolds.  
Ray holds on to the table as they navigate the streets, keeping the car in range of the instruments. Soon, a grey pickup truck pulls behind the car, about twenty yards back, and a voice crackles over the radio.  
"Sumo Red in position."  
"Sumo Blue ready two blocks up." another voice chimes in.  
"Ok fox, on my signal." Dawn says as she watches the screen intently.  
She then keys the mic as the car gets halfway down the second block.  
"Tag Team go go go!" She shouts into the microphone. "Ray, kill it!"  
Ray presses a few buttons and his display begins to flash. The scene from inside the car causing him to smile. The deer is looking at the gauges on the dashboard of the car, as he loses all power to the engine confusion evident on his face. At the same time the officer in the truck behind him turns on his hidden lights. Red and blue flash in the night air as the truck closes with the car. Simultaneously, a black SUV, also with lights going, pulls out from the upcoming intersection, blocking the road.

Ray can't help but laugh at the deer on his screen. At the sight of the two undercover cars, he started freaking out. He slammed on the brakes, almost causing the truck behind him to smash into the back of the car, and tried to bolt out the door, but found it locked. He then tried to climb out the passenger door but it too was locked remotely by Ray's console. The officers in the two chase vehicles, a rhino and a wolf, make their way to the car with tranq guns drawn.

"Let them in, Ray." Dawn says to the laughing fox.  
Ray presses another button letting the two officers open the driver side door and they haul the now dispirited deer out onto the ground. As the van pulls up to the scene Dawn turns to the fox and pauses, Ray has a ear to ear grin on his muzzle and his head is tilted slightly to the side.  
"What the…"  
Ray points to his head.  
"That's my smug face."  
"You are insufferable, fox." She says, head shaking. "Looks like your stuff works. You might get your contract after all."

As the driver exits to help with the arrest, Leaving the two in the van alone, the expression drops from Rays muzzle. Completely serious he speaks to the hippo.  
"Dawn? I need a favor. A really big favor."


	14. Pop Pop

Pop Pop.

Sharon and Ray's Apartment building, about 7 months after Ray's Story.

Sharon rides the elevator down to the lobby. She is dressed fancy, wearing a long blue evening gown with matching handbag, ready for her double date with Ray, Toast and one of the nurses from her hospital that she set Toast up with. A chime from her phone alerts her to a text message from Ray.

'Out front. look for white car'  
'On my way dwn' she replies.

Sharon ponders what he means by 'white car'. Ray's current car is bright yellow, and he always referred to the shops white station wagon as simply 'the wagon'. She gets her answer when the elevator doors open and she walks through the lobby. Ray, dressed in a grey button up shirt, black slacks and dark sunglasses, stands with arms open in front of pristine white classic Cat-illac.  
"Eh? what do you think?" Ray asks as he opens the door for her.  
"What is this?"  
"Nineteen thirty seven Cat-illac Lasalle, all original. A beautiful car for a beautiful lady."  
As she gets in she notices a slight musty smell and a hint of old cigar smoke.  
"You borrow this just for our date?" She asks of Ray when he gets in.  
"Nope, it's mine, I've had it for a while."  
"You own it? How come I have never seen it before?"  
"I don't take it out much. I store it in a garage out in Sahara Square to keep it from rusting." He says as he pulls away from the building, engine growling under the long hood.  
"Where did you ever get something like this, it must have cost a fortune."  
"Inherited it from my grandpa. It was his pride and joy. And yeah, current market value is about one fifty."  
"One fifty?"  
"Hundred and fifty thousand dollars with the factory options it has, only 30 of them were build in this configuration."  
"Oh my. I'd be afraid to drive something that expensive." She says as she pulls her paws to her chest like she is afraid to touch the car.  
"Don't worry, it's a driver, not a trailer queen. I just keep it polished up in case I feel like selling it."  
"You would sell it even though it meant so much to your grandfather?"  
"Sure, the old man told me before he died to sell it and buy something I want, he knew this wasn't exactly my style."  
"And yet you still have it."  
"Haven't needed the money, and there might be a bit of sentimental value, you know he taught me how to drive in this?"  
"He taught you in this?"  
"Yeah, remember it like it was yesterday. We went for a drive out to the farmlands and he just pulled over in the middle of nowhere, got out, and said 'Ok, your turn'. I wasn't even old enough to get my permit."  
"He let an underaged, YOU, drive his prized car?"  
"Yeah, I think he had an idea he was sick already, wanted to teach me as much as he could before he was gone, you know."  
"I can see why you would not want to part with this car."  
"Nah, the car will be sold someday. Hell, Pete keeps drooling over it every time he sees it, I can get him to empty his bank account in a heartbeat if I offered it up. Now Pop Pop's tools, I'll be taking those to my grave. He also taught me everything he knew about wrenching. Spent many a day and a lot of nights helping him with his race cars."  
"Now I know were you get it from."  
"Got a lot from him, even my fur, he was another Marble. When the two of us went out together, mom used to joke 'Oh no, I lost my marbles!'. Heh. That was a long time ago."  
"Your mother didn't have marble fur?"  
"It skipped her, she was a Grey Fox. Don't know what dad was, never knew him, so I have no clue about his fur, but Pop pop said having two Marbles in the same family was a real rarity."  
"You never knew your dad? did he…?"  
"Don't know. Mom never told me before she passed, and I never thought to ask grandpa."  
"I'm so sorry."  
"Don't be, I was loved growing up. And if mom didn't talk about my father, then I guess I don't really want to know. Speaking of parents, when are you gonna introduce me to yours?"  
Sharon looks at her lap nervously.  
"Ummm well…"  
"What is it? They do know we are together, right?"  
"Dad knows, but mom… well…she kinda hates foxes."  
"Oh."  
"Yeah so it might take some time before you are invited to family dinner."  
"I could just dye my fur, say I'm a skunk or something."  
"Ha, after what my sister did? I think skunks are off limits too."  
"Which sister did what? This I gotta hear."  
"I'll tell you that later, just drive."

Soon, they pull in to a lot in front of a downtown restaurant. Ray parks the car and finds Toast waiting out front with his date, a female weasel in a tight black dress.  
"Hey Toast, and you must be Nurse Wendy, I'm Ray."  
"Please, just Wendy, I'm not at work. Hi Sharon." The female weasel softly replies.  
"Hi Wendy, shall we go in?" Sharon answers.  
"Brought the Catty out huh?, was wondering what you would drive after you wrecked your Shadow last night." Toast says as Ray tries to wave him off.  
"Wait! You wrecked? Raymond, why didn't you tell me you had an accident?" Sharon yells.  
"Everything is fine. It was a minor fender bender. Nobody was hurt." Ray says ducking his head with his paws out in front of him. "Thanks a lot, Toast." he mumbles to his friend.


	15. Toasted Weasel

Toasted Weasel

The Mountain Court restaurant, Downtown, about 7 months after Ray's Story

Four mammals sit at a table, laughter cuts through the din of the busy restaurant as Toast finishes telling a story. Empty plates are scattered on the table from the meal and the four of them are finishing their after dinner drinks. Beer for Toast, the girls having various fruity mixed drinks, and Ray, sticking with soda as he is driving his grandfathers car tonight. Wendy, Toast's date for the evening then asks.  
"So, Gary, I can kinda guess why, but who would be mean enough to give you the nickname Toast?"  
Ray, knowing full well the answer to the question, rests his forehead in his paw, hiding his face.  
"I don't know, Ray, I forget who that was, Ray, can you remember, Ray?" Toast says pointedly, but with a grin.  
"In my defense, it was the first time we met, in the hospital right after he… well, got toasted."  
"Ray! be nice" Sharon says, smacking him lightly in the arm. Wendy watches the exchange with a chuckle.  
"I am. Toa… err Gary, why don't you tell that story?" Ray says shielding himself from Sharon.  
"It was nothing, just a bar fight." Toast says dismissively.  
"Oh come on, the real story. Tell us all about the heroics of Gary Nivalis."  
"Nobody wants to hear about that." Toast says waving his hand.  
"Oh heroics?. I want to hear it." Wendy says.  
Toast sighs. "If I must. It was what, about 10 years ago…"

***Cue wavy screen flashback scene to ten years ago***

A young weasel walks along a street in the middle of the night. Gary had just left a party hosted by some older schoolmates and was feeling a little buzzed from the beers he drank, despite being underaged. He is not really paying attention to his surroundings so he gets quite a shock when he rounds a corner and sees a bright orange glow.

A small mammal house is ablaze, with fire blowing out the windows of the first floor on the left side. A lone figure is hunched over in the street, a squirrel, coughing and trying to get up. Gary runs over to the squirrel and helps him up.  
"You ok?"  
"My mom, my brother." the squirrel says, pointing to the burning home.  
Gary looks around but there is no other mammals on the street that night. He yells into the night as panic starts to set in.  
"Someone, call the fire dept! Help!" but is greeted with silence.  
He is about to run to a neighboring house when the squirrel pleads.  
"You have to help them, they are going to die."

He looks over and notices the fire is spreading fast in the small home. he glances at the house across the street and is about to run there to try and wake the occupants when he hears a window on the squirrels house shatter from the heat. Thinking quickly he finds a rock by the curb and hurls it will all his might at a window on the house across the street. The window shatters and is immediately followed by a cry from inside. Gary turns to the squirrel as lights turn on in the once dark neighbor's house.  
"Where are they?"  
"Up stairs, bedrooms on right." the squirrel says between labored charges at the front door, left open by the young squirrels hasty exit. All that is going through his mind is 'This is a bad idea'.

Gary first impression when he bursts through the door is how quiet everything seems. Too quiet for the immediacy of the situation, literally life or death. The other thing he notices is the heat, a door way on the left is radiating so much heat he can't even approach the door, he notices the paint is peeling and turning black. Ignoring that path he starts up the stairs to encounter a new obstacle. Thick Black smoke hangs on the second floor, only about 4 inches above the floor is clear air. He takes a deep breath, and heads into the blackness, keeping as low as he can. Reaching the top of the stairs he crawls on all four, heading right. There is a door immediately in front of him and he reaches up and opens it. He finds an older female squirrel sprawled on the floor, trying to crawl to the doorway. She is gasping for air, being overcome by the smoke. Gary crawls to her and wraps an arm around her waist and starts to drag her out.

"My baby" she wheezes, reaching down the hallway.  
"I'll be back for you." Gary says to the panicking mother.  
The weasel steels his nerves then, ducking his head to the floor, he draws in another breath of clearer air before heading down the hall in search of the child.

Gary reaches doorway and flings it open. He curses as he feels shelves full of clothing and linen. A closet. Quickly closing the door he grabs another breath from the disappearing space of clean air by the floor and continues on. He makes it to the next door, finding it already open. He enters the room and tries to look around but the smoke is making it impossible to make out anything. Laying his head on the ground he scans the floor for anything that will give him reference. He spies four post against the one wall and hopes that it is a bed. Crawling over he he reaches up and find a still form on the bed, he drags the small squirrel to him and hugs him to his chest. Pressing his face to the floor again he tries to find some clean air but the smoke has almost filled the room. Lungs burning he runs to were he remembers the door being, but he misjudged and smashes his shoulder into the frame. Gary lets out a string of profanity as he tries to navigate down the blacked out hallway. He reaches the end and scoops up the mother, dragging her to the stairs. A new threat presents itself when finally gets down the stairs enough to clear the smoke, the door that was just hot before, has burned through and the fire has spread to the stairwell, covering almost the entire side of the stairs as the flames race up the wall. With a yell like a battle cry, Gary charges down the stairs with the motionless child and unconscious mother held on his left, twisting his body to shield them from the flames. The pain Gary feels is the most intense he has ever felt in his life, his war cry turning into a scream as he pushes through the flames. The three feet to the door seems to take forever, but he finally breaks out into the cool night air. The next thing he knows is he is being tackled to the ground by an unidentified mammal. The two squirrels are pulled from his grasp and someone is pressing some kind of cloth over his back. Voices are yelling but he can't make out what they are saying through the shock and the pain. And soon he passes out.

A few days later

Gary lays facedown in a hospital room, head propped up on his arms as he tries to watch TV.. Bandages cover his entire back and parts of his neck, and several IVs lead to his right arm. Along side his bed sits his mother, leaning back in a chair reading a magazine about baking.  
"Put the pred in there with the weasel." a voice is heard from outside the room.

Three mammals come into the room, a sheep orderly pushing a gurney with a teenage white and black fox in it. An elderly fox with similar fur as the youth follows behind. The younger fox has his arm in a sling and his shirt is off reveling bandages around his midsection. His one eye is almost swollen shut, but he seem to be grinning despite the obvious pain he is in. The elderly fox is dressed in a fine but older style grey suit, an unlit cigar hangs from his mouth. A look of concern on his face.  
"You have to excuse Nurse Myrtle, she is from the old school of nursing." the sheep says, then in a quieter voice. "She is a bitter old hag that nobody likes."  
"S'okay, been called worse by a lot better." the young fox says.  
The sheep rolls the gurney next to the other bed in the room and says to the teenage fox.  
"Let get you moved over."  
"I got it." The fox says as he starts to get up. "Ahh!, I don't got it." he says as he flops back down, overcome by pain.  
"Let us help you little buddy." the old fox say.  
The The two of them help the young fox into the bed. Once comfortable the younger fox turns to Gary and asks.  
"Oh man, That looks painful. What happened to you?"  
"Got burned in a house fire." He replies.  
"Toasted weasel, huh? My name is Ray."  
Gary's mother is about to say something to the young fox about being polite when Gary answers with a chuckle.  
"Ha, yeah, I guess so. My name is Gary. What is your story?"  
"Got jumped by some zebras. accused me of stealing a wallet."  
"Oh my, thats horrible, I hope they got punished." Gary's mother chime in.  
"Oh yeah, I put two of them in the room down the hall. I missed the third one though." Ray says as Gary's mother puts a paw to her mouth in shock and Gary starts grinning.  
"And what did I tell you about cowards in groups?" Ray's grandfather asks.  
"Always look for one more hiding in the shadows." He says as he bows his head in shame.  
"Next time you might not be so lucky. Us foxes have to watch our backs against those that do not trust us."  
"Yes Pop Pop."  
"You really beat up two zebras?" Gary asks.  
"Gary! don't get any ideas." His mother scolds.  
"Yes mom."  
"Ma'am, Why don't we take a walk and let the boys get aquatinted, May I buy you a coffee?" Ray's grandfather asks.  
Gary's mother looks at her son for a second then agrees.  
"That would be nice."  
As the two adults leave Gary turns to Ray.  
"So, did you?"  
"Did I what?" Ray asks.  
"Steal the wallet."  
"I am not a thief, Toasty, but, well, when they attacked, I figured what the hell." As he reaches into his bag of personal belongings and pulls out a black wallet. "At least I got that third guy in the end."

***Wavy screen flashback end***

"So yeah, 'Toasty' eventually became just 'Toast', and I have been stuck hanging out with this jerk of a fox from then on." Toast says to the mammals at the table.  
"Wow, you saved those poor squirrels. You are a real hero." Wendy says with admiration in her eyes.  
"See Toast?, I told you the truth would impress chicks better then that lame bar fight story you came up with." Ray says as he sips his soda.  
Sharon swats Ray's arm. "Raymond Volpe, don't call us 'chicks'."  
"Yes dear. I won't call broads, chicks, anymore."  
This earns Ray a firm punch in the arm, spilling some of his drink.  
"Ow." he says as he grabs a napkin to mop up the spilled soda.

* * *

Got some suggestions from a couple of readers, and I will take them into consideration.

Smelly pipe, I don't think Mr big would come in directly to have work done on one of his limos, (maybe suped to make quick getaways?) but he might send one of his polar bear guards or Mr Manches.

Dom, later on in the story I will be dealing with racetracks, (not street racing) so I might have a spot for something along the line of your suggestion.


	16. Nightmares Evolve

Nightmares Evolve

The fox stalks his prey silently through the hall. The scent of his quarry fresh, full of fear. Hobbling on three legs, his back right leg injured from the hippo he took on before, he ignores the pain as he searches in the dimly lit building. He finds it, cowering in the corner of a room in the back. Glancing around in panic at the darkness, his next kill does not see the fox slowly stalk toward her. A growl echoes though the empty room and sends the quivering coyote deeper into panic. Ray lunges at the Sharon's head.

Ray wakes with a scream. He frantically looks around the dark bedroom for his coyote but fails to find her, he is alone in the room. It takes a few moments before he remembers that Sharon is working a night shift at the hospital and will not be home till morning. The marble fox lays back, both relieved that his mate is safe, but disturbed by the turn his nightmares have taken as of late. He closes his eyes, but sleep eludes him the rest of the night.


	17. Limo Service

Limo Service

Volpe Automotive, Savanna Central, a little over 7 months after Ray's Story

"So Ray, how bad is it?" Toast asks as he walks into the shop.  
Ray is working on a mangled yellow Conga Shadow, trying to salvage what he can.  
"The block looks ok, and the intake looks like it was spared. so the engine is worth something, But the chassis is done, the frame is bent and pushed back causing all sorts of damage underneath. so I am gonna yank the engine, pull the seats and roll bar out and have Joey haul the rest for scrap."  
"And you told Sharon it was a fender bender."  
"The fender is bent."  
"So is the rest of the car."  
"I just don't want her to worry."  
"You just don't want her mad at you."  
"That too."  
"She has got you so whipped it is not even funny."  
"What are YOU talking about, I heard you on the phone with Wendy before. I thought I was going to gag when you started with the cutesy talk back and forth."

The front door opening interrupts Toast's retort. The weasel turns and walks into the front. A black jaguar stands in the front area. He is dressed in an all black chauffeur's uniform, complete with hat, and has scars over his right eye. He turns to Toast and say in a gruff but gentle voice.  
"Hello sir. My employer would like to have some work done on one of their cars for a special client."  
"Sure. What kind of car is it?"  
"It is the one parked outside, the Cat-illac limo."  
"Umm we usually don't work on things like that… hold on." Toast pokes his head into the shop "Hey Ray! there is a Mister… um what was your name?"  
"Manchas."  
"There is a Mr. Manchas here to see you about a limo."

Ray walks out and reaches out to shake the jaguars paw.  
"Greeting Mr, Manchas, I'm Ray Volpe. Now what did you have in mind for this car?"  
"Pleased to meet you Mr Volpe. My Boss wants the performance of this vehicle increased. The words he used were 'make it speedy'."  
"Speedy huh? Usually 'speedy' and 'limo' do not go together, but I am always up for a challenge. Lets see what I have to work with." Ray says as he leads the jaguar outside to the car.

Ray goes to the drivers door and reaches in to pop the hood. He walks to the front and lifts the hood to look inside, using his cane to get the hood up all the way.  
"Alright what am I dealing with… oh hello. Look at this thing."  
Mr Manchas asks. "Is the engine going to be OK?"  
"Oh it is more then OK, This is an old 500 big block, and it has the fuel injection already. All I have to do is eliminate the emissions and boost the compression and this thing will be a beast. Handling will be another story, how much weight is usually in here, passengers and luggage?" Ray says as he lays on the ground to look under the car.  
"My normal passengers are a shrew and two polar bears, with their luggage."  
"Thats an odd combination, but two bears figure 700 each and the shrew is negligible, gonna have to go active suspension to keep the ride comfortable, yeah it should be doable, not cheap, but doable. I could have an estimate for you in a day or so."  
"Thats OK, Here is the card for the office, call them when you have all the details."  
"You need a ride back or something?"  
"No thank you Mr. Volpe. I would enjoy a nice walk to the subway station. I do not get to visit Savanna Central often and would like to look around. Thank you."  
With that Manchas turns and walk towards the center of the district, and Ray heads back inside.

"Hey Toast, this is going to be a fun one."  
"Your taking the job?" the weasel asks.  
"Yeah, that engine under the hood is a gem, I can't wait to get that thing roaring."  
"Who would want a tricked out limo?"  
"Don't know, the driver said he usually hauls around a couple of polar bears and a shrew if you would believe that."  
Toast face turns to worry.  
"Uh Ray, remember when you told Officer Stanmen you would stay away from the criminal world from now on?"  
"Yeah… why?"  
"A shrew guarded by polar bears, That's Mr Big. You're working for the mob."  
The fox's eyes go wide.  
"Let's not tell Dawn about this one, OK?"


	18. The File

The File

A parking deck, a block from ZPD Rainforest HQ. 7 and a half months after Ray's Story.

Officer Dawn Stanmen sits in a unmarked patrol car in the bottom level of a parking deck, waiting for a fox to show up. A plain manilla envelope sits on the passenger seat next to her, a collection of papers that she went to a lot of trouble getting it released to her friend. This is the reason for the cloak and dagger style meeting away from the precinct. Although she has permission from the Chief to release the files, some of the information in the envelope is technically not supposed to leave ZPD hands. If another officer should report her, both her and the Chief could be in trouble.

She sees a pair of round headlights pull into the deck's entryway. The vehicle is creeping along slowly and she hears a repeated 'twanging' sound over the rumble of the engine. She realizes the noise is a tall antenna on the back of Volpe's Zeep CK-7 striking the concrete support beams, his roof inches from scraping. She gets out of her car and waves him down. Ray pulls the green 4x4 into a spot next to her.

"You had to meet inside here, I barely fit." Ray says to her.  
"I though you would show up in your banana mobile to be honest."  
"Got rid of the Shadow. Sharon hated the color too. Everytime I gave her a ride she would make fun of it."  
"She said you wrecked it."  
"It was minor, I just didn't feel like patching it up again." Ray says defensively.  
"Again?"  
"Never mind."  
She hands him the envelope, but before letting go she says to him.  
"Remember, do not let this out of your sight, and when you are done with it, you destroy it. If I find any of this got leaked I will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Understand?"  
"I understand." He says, taking the envelope.  
"And I have to tell you something. Word on the grapevine is that Chung's gang is back in town with his brother." Dawn looks at Ray's worried expression. "Now there is no evidence that they know you were involved at all, as far as they know it was all a accident in the lab that caused all of this. But if you see any of them, stay away and call me. Please."  
"Got it. You don't have to worry, I want nothing to do with any of them ever again."  
"Good, I do not want to explain to Sharon that you got killed playing hero again."  
"No more heroics for this fox, just my normal cowardly self." Ray climbs back into the Zeep, a tough task considering the tires are almost as tall as he is.  
As Dawn watches Ray's taillights turn out of the exit and onto the street, she pulls out her phone and hesitates. After a few moments she selects one of her contacts and presses call.  
"Hello Dawn, whats up?" Sharon's voice can be heard from the phone.  
"Sharon, look, I gave Ray that file. You might want to be there when he opens it. I think he might need you with him."

Mountainside Park, a few hours later

Ray is sitting at the base of his tree in his usual spot, one of his canes is leaning up against the trunk. The manilla envelope lies discarded on the ground as he reads through the file. He is on one particular page has him very distraught. The toxicology report for all the mammals at the scene, all down the line under the column 'Night howler extract' reads 'NEGATIVE', over and over until the last entry, under 'unknown, fox', reads 'POSITIVE'. Confirming his fears that he was the only one that went savage inside that lab. He flips that page to the bottom of the folder and is greeted by a crime scene photo on the next one, showing a lion slumped up against some cabinets in a black and white copy of a photograph. The entire scene is predominantly one dark shade and Ray can guess what shade it would have been if it was in color. most of the dark mass is concentrated in a big stain on the lions chest, originating from under his chin. He sits starting at the photo, hand shaking when a voice calls out from down the hill.

"Ray?" Sharon, still dressed in her hospital uniform, softly calls to him as she finds her fox, deep in the woods.  
"Sharon, what are you… how did you find me." He says as he gets up and quickly closes the folder, hiding the file from Sharon.  
"Dawn said you come to the park to think, and the ranger let me know were to find you." she says as she walks over to him. He pulls away when she reaches out to him for an embrace.  
"I really want to be alone right now I.." He gets stuck trying to make up an excuse for what he is doing here.  
"Dawn told me about the files. Ray, I'm here for you."  
"I don't think I should be around you… or anyone else…"  
"Honey, don't say that."  
"I'm not a nice mammal, Sharon, I am a danger to everyone around me." he says holding up the folder.  
"Those are just words on paper, I know the real you."  
"Do you? Does anyone? Six, six dead because of me."  
"And five girls are alive because of you!" Sharon's voice getting louder.  
"Because they weren't near me, or I probably would have killed them too."  
"You don't know that. Now stop this and come home."  
"I don't think I should. I think I should leave." Ray says softly.  
"No." Sharon says sternly.  
"I'm gonna move out. I will pack my things and be…"  
"Don't you dare Raymond! You are not leaving me like this! We are in this, together!"  
"I don't want to hurt you! What if I have a relapse or something. what if I attack you!" They are both yelling at this point.  
"You do not relapse from Night Howlers Ray! You are not going to hurt me!"  
"How can you be sure! I am a threat to you, to everyone around me!"  
"You are not a threat to me, Ray!"  
"I'm a monster! I don't want you to die by my paws!"  
"You are stubborn! You are thick headed! You are annoying as hell and an impetuous bastard, but you are NOT a Monster! And you will not hurt me!"  
"I killed a lion, Sharon! If I go savage again, there is nothing you can do about it!"

Ray barely has time to even realize Sharon is moving before he finds himself pinned with his back up against the tree. Sharon has his right paw twisted behind his back with her left and her right paw is gripping his neck, the claw on her thumb against his chin forcing him to look up and away. She is pressed up against him forcing him against the tree and her muzzle is inches from the side of his head when she starts to speak in a growling voice. Ray listens intently with eyes wide, visibly shaking.

"Raymond, Alexander, Volpe, I have held down a rhino that was having a seizure on my table. I have faced off against countless family members trying to force their way into my O.R. to see their loved ones. I have fought animals ten times bigger than you, hopped up on who knows what, as they tried to trash my E.R. and hurt MY staff. I can handle, one, little, fox."  
She releases his paw that was pinned between himself and the tree and her claw comes off his neck as she reaches around his muzzle and pulls his head against the top of hers. Gently stroking the fur on his head and neck she continues in a quiet almost whisper.  
"Now, I am going to go to our home to watch this weeks episode of ZCIS. I would like to lay on the couch with my favorite black and white pillow to rest my head against. So, I will give you a few minutes alone here to come to your senses, but I am taking this." She grabs the folder out of his hand. and looks up at him, tears in her eyes. "We will read this later, together. I said I would help you through this and I meant it. I will be waiting in the truck." She kisses him on the side of the head before walking away back down the hill. She turns before she is out of sight and says back to him.  
"Come home Ray, I need my fox."

Ray sumps down when she disappears into the woods. Still shaking from the encounter.  
"That was terrifying." he says to himself.  
After a bit he stands and gathers his cane, looking down the hill in the direction Sharon went and then he heads off after her.

A few nights later

The fox stalks his prey silently through the hall. The scent of his quarry fresh. Hobbling on three legs, his back right leg injured from the hippo he took on before, he ignores the pain as he searches in the dimly lit building. He finds it, standing in the corner of a room in the back. Glancing around at the darkness, his next kill does not see the fox slowly stalk toward her. A growl echoes though the empty room. Ray lunges at the Sharon, only to be met with a fist from the coyote. knocking him back down the hall.

Ray jolts awake in his bed next to Sharon. Feeling him jerk, she rolls over and asks.  
"Baby, are you alright?"  
"Yeah, just a… weird dream. kinda funny actually."  
"Hmm have to tell me about it in the morning." She says as she closes her eyes.  
"I will, I will."  
He pulls her close, resting her muzzle on his neck as they cuddle each other to sleep.


	19. Meeting the Parents

Meeting the Parents

Sharon and Ray's Apartment, early evening, about 8 months after Ray's Story

The marble fox sits alone on the couch in the apartment he shares with his coyote mate. The TV above the false fireplace is on, tuned to a ZNN news station, they are talking about police activity in TundraTown, but he pays no mind to it. His attention is held by the laptop he holds, several windows open with different automotive forums and stores. His research is interrupted by a knock on the door. He gets up, turns the TV off, and walks over to the entryway.

Opening the door, Ray sees a middle-aged coyote couple. They both react with surprise upon seeing the fox, but the females reaction quickly turns to anger.  
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She asks, distrust clear in her voice.  
Ray is about to try and answer when the male coyote interrupts.  
"Hold on Martha, maybe we have the wrong apartment." He looks at Ray and it is apparent he is just trying to diffuse the situation, or stall for time.  
"I know which apartment my daughter lives in, Stanley. But what is this fox doing here."  
'oh this is bad' Ray thinks to himself, but he hides his dread and instead says with a smile. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Wiley. Please, come in."  
All three of them enter the living room and Sharon's mother continues the questions.  
"Where is Sharon, What are you doing here?"  
"Sharon is still at work, she gets off in about an hour, then it's a forty-five minute subway ride back here. Would you like something to drink? Please make yourselves comfortable." Ray says, trying to find a way out of this.  
"Who are you and what are you doing in my daughter's apartment?" Martha asks suspiciously.  
Ray, looks at the father and sees just a shrug. He decides to just bite the bullet, and after a deep breath says.  
"I'm Ray, Sharon's boyfriend."  
Ray, once again in his life, wishes he had a camera to record someones face after a surprise. In fact, if it was not him directly involved in this situation, he probably would have laughed out loud at Mrs. Wiley's expression.  
Mr. Wiley then mumbles.  
"Told ya we should have let Sharon know we were coming."  
Martha turns to her husband, shock turning back to anger and yells.  
"I can visit my daughter any time I want! Besides, I called and she didn't answer."  
"If she gets busy in the ER she can't always get to her phone. I usually just text her and she can call me back when she has a chance. In fact, let me do that now." Ray says as he grabs his phone off the table and starts typing.  
"I know that, FOX. and you didn't answer my question. If Sharon isn't here, what are you doing in her apartment?"  
Ray quickly finishes a text to Sharon reading ' _call when u can. super awkward situ at home_ ' then says to Mrs. Wiley.  
"I live here too. We live together."  
Again Ray wishes he had a camera as Martha's jaw falls open and she drops the purse she had in her paws as she looks at the fox in disbelief. Mr. Wiley's reaction is completely different, he looks surprised, but amused, and is trying to hide it from his wife. The silence in interrupted by a chime from Ray's phone. Sharon's reply reads ' _What is it_ '. Ray sends back. ' _parents r here_ ' as Mrs. Wiley comes out of her shock and turns to her husband.  
"Why didn't she tell me? A fox? What is going on? What is that look Stan? Don't tell me you knew about this."  
"I didn't know he moved in." Stan replies.  
"But you knew my daughter was dating a fox? Why didn't she tell me?"  
Ray's phone rings with Sharon's ring tone and he picks up.  
"Are they there now? What did you tell them?" a nervous voice asks from the other end of the line.  
"Yeah, they are here and I told them the truth." Ray says into the phone.  
"Is that Sharon? let me talk to her." Her mother says grabing for the phone.  
"Ummm here's your mom." Ray says handing over the phone.  
Ray and Stan share an understanding look, then both of them head over to the kitchen. From the living room they hear Martha say in a low growling voice.  
"Sharon Madeline Wiley, just what the hell is going on here?"  
Ray turns to Sharon's father.  
"Now I know where she gets the 'angry voice' from."  
"If you heard it, and lived, I'm impressed. Yeah, those two are very much alike." Stan says with a chuckle.  
"Beer?" Ray asks as he opens the refrigerator.  
"Yes please."  
The fox looks at the angry mother yelling into the phone, waving her free arm in the air.  
"What have I got myself into?" He opens two bottles and hands one to the father.  
"A world of hurt, son. But I can tell you, it is worth it in the end."  
"if I live through it."  
"If you live through it."  
They clink their bottles together and watch the irate coyote in the living room together.

About an hour and a half later

Sharon walks into the apartment not knowing what to expect. She finds her mother sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of tea. She does not look happy, but she is not livid as she was when Sharon got off the phone with her. Her father is standing in the kitchen talking with her boyfriend who is preparing a meal at the counter, wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron.

"Hi mom. Hi dad. Hey honey. Glad to see you're all getting along." Sharon says as she puts down some bags she was carrying.  
"Hello Sharon." her mother says in an tired voice.  
"Hi, sweetie. Ray was just telling us about him helping out the ZPD." Her father says  
"Well, I am doing it for a profit." Ray says "Hey baby, how was your day?"  
"Busy as usual. I picked up some of those fresh strawberries from the market on the way home."  
Ray's eyes go wide and he reaches out for the bag saying  
"Oh I love you I love you I love you I..." He pauses and looks around as he remembers the two other coyotes in the room. "...'m gonna go back to cooking the fish now"  
This draws a laugh from Mr. Wiley and even Mrs. Wiley smirks. Sharon just rolls her eyes and smiles.  
"So, mom, now that you've had some time with Ray, what do you think?"  
"He's alright, for a fox." Sharon's mother mumbles.  
Ray shrugs at her comment as he checks in the oven. "Eh, I'll take it."


	20. The Big Escape

The Big Escape

Sharon and Ray's apartment, the next night.

Ray and Sharon lay on the couch in their usual position. Ray leaning against the arm of the couch and Sharon laying with her head on his chest. They are watching a sci-fi movie about a dystopian future were predators have to wear collars that force them to control their emotions. They are interrupted by Sharon's phone ringing.

"Let it ring." Ray says wrapping his arms around the coyote.  
"It might be work calling" Sharon says as she disentangles herself from the fox's grasp and walks over to the table the phone is sitting on. Ray sits up and watches her.  
"All the more reason to ignore it."  
"You know I can't."  
Ray just makes a pouting face as she picks up the phone and reads the screen.  
"Oh, it's Dawn. Hey Dawn, whats up."

"Yeah, he is right here." Sharon says as Ray's ears perk up, but he can only hear one side of the conversation.

"What did he do this time?"

"What? I'm sure he didn't…what?" Ray is worried now.

"Hang on, let me put you on speaker so he can hear." Sharon pushes an icon on the screen of her phone and holds it out between the two.  
"Three months of work, all for nothing because of you, fox!" Dawns shouts over the phone.  
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything." The nervous fox says.  
"We had him, dead to rights, and because of you, he got away!"  
"Who got away, what did I do?" Ray pleads.  
"We finally had a case against Mr. Big. All we had to do is catch him at the scene. But when we go to block his car off it takes off like a rocket ship. There is no way a big old limo should be able to go that fast, but it does. And what do I see when I review the dash cam footage today? One of YOUR stickers in the back window."  
"Oh. That was Mr. Big's limo?" Ray says innocently.  
"Yes, that was Mr. Big's limo! Don't tell me you didn't know."  
"Well, Toast had his suspicions, but it was paid for by Tundra Town limo service, I didn't know for sure."  
"And you didn't think to tell me?"  
"I didn't want you to be mad."  
"You didn't want me to… Gods damn it, fox! I am going to kill you!"  
"Come on Sharon, help me out." Ray says to a rather pissed off looking coyote.  
"This is your mess." She replies, shaking her head.  
"Don't hide behind your girlfriend, Volpe!" Dawn says.  
"What am I supposed to do? Have you check out every one of my customers?" Ray asks.  
"That would be nice."  
"That would scare away all my clients."  
"Good, then maybe we would be able to catch them."  
"Look, it's not my fault your patrol cars are slower then a drunken sloth."  
"I should have you arrested for the crap you put me through."  
"Oh come on, I can't be that bad."  
"If only I could charge you with being a pain in the… hang on. I just thought of a way you can start to make up for it."  
"Ummmm, and that would be?" Ray asks suspiciously.  
"You'll find out tomorrow, fox. Bright and early I will see you at your shop. Sharon, I hope you have a good night, and smack that damn fox for me, will you?"  
"Good night, Dawn." Sharon says.

The phone beeps as the hippo disconnects before Ray can chime in.  
"How could you be so stupid?" Sharon scolds. "You did work for the most infamous gangster in all of Zootopia, and you didn't think to tell Dawn?"  
Ray stands there with his ears back and his tail between his feet.  
"I didn't know for sure it was his car, and what should I do, call Dawn up everytime someone shady enters my shop?"  
"That would be a start. I'm going to bed." Ray starts to follow "Oh no, you are sleeping on the couch tonight."  
"But…" He looks at her with his best sad face.  
"Don't give me that, you're lucky I don't make you sleep out in your car."  
Ray sighs and wanders over to the kitchen as Sharon walking into the bedroom. He grabs a beer from the fridge as he tries to think of what Dawn will have waiting for him tomorrow.


	21. Chase Car

Chase Car

Volte Automotive, Savanna Central, The next morning.

Ray turns his green Veep onto the road the shop sits on about a half an hour before opening time. Already there is two of the ZPD large cruisers sitting out front. Standing by the cars are Dawn and another male tiger officer he does not recognize. As he gets closer he notices that the hippo has a scowl on her face. He was hoping she would have cooled off overnight, but it seems she is still mad at the fox.

"You're late." She says as soon as he opens his door.  
"I am not late. I am early." he responds as he climbs down out of the car, grabbing his cane and a snarl-bucks cup as he exits.  
"I said bright and early, it is almost eight thirty." Pointing to the time on her phone.  
"I open at nine." He say walking past her towards the front door.  
"Listen, fox, you are in enough trouble as it is."  
"For what?" He turns towards her. "Doing what my customers ask?" He is waving his paws around with his cane and coffee cup still grasped in them. "They come in, I work on their cars, they pay me. That's it. I don't care who they are as long as I get paid."  
"Well I am actually glad to hear that." She tosses him a set of keys that he catches clumsily with his already full paws. "Here is your next job."  
"Wait, what?"  
"You are going to take this cruiser and make something that can catch all of your hooligan buddies running around on the streets. The specs and the contract are sitting on the seat. I expect good work from you now Mr. Volpe, you have a reputation to uphold." With that, she nods to the tiger, and they both get into the second cruiser and drive off.

Ten minutes later Toast walks in. Ray has the cruiser pulled into the shop and is sitting in the drivers seat reading over the spec sheet.  
"What the hell is this thing doing in here?" The weasel asks.  
"New project." Ray mumbles.  
"Since when do we work on cop cars."  
"Since I pissed off Dawn."  
"Again?"  
"No...well... yeah, I guess. She is really mad this time."  
"What did you do this time?"  
"Remember that limo that you thought was Mr. Big's?"  
"Yeah?"  
"It was his."  
"Told ya. And she is pissed at that?"  
"Well, he used it to get away from a sting the cops setup."  
"Oh!"  
"So as punishment I have to make this thing fast."  
"That sucks."  
"No, it is actually awesome." his signature grin spreading on his muzzle. "I have been wanting to get my hands on one of these for a while, and look at the contract." Ray holds up a sheet of paper to Toast.  
"Yeah, looks standard… wait, is that number right?"  
"Yeah, flat rate job too. I can have this thing blowing away their specs for half that amount, and we get to pocket the rest. She wanted to punish me, but I think this is a reward."  
Toast just whistles as he thinks of the payday from this job.  
"But what will the crew think when they get chased by this heap." Toast asks.  
"Well, I guess they will just have to pay me to make their cars go faster then this now, won't they." Ray says with a smug grin on his muzzle.  
"You are unbelievable." Toast says, shaking his head as he walks into the front of the shop to finish opening up for the day.


	22. Support

Support

Zootopia Social Center, Downtown, a Wednesday night, almost 8 months after Ray's Story.

"You sure I can't come in with you?" Sharon asks her fox. They stand, Sharon embracing Ray from behind with her head on his shoulder, in front of a door to 'meeting room 23'. There is a simple laminated paper sign, taped to the door, that reads 'NHSG meeting 7:00PM'.  
"I wish you could, but it is only for those directly affected." As he presses the side of his head against Sharon's muzzle with his eyes closed. "You sure you don't want to go home and wait for me there?"  
"I'm sure. I am going to do some shopping while I am here, there is a new boutique down the street I want to check out and I am going to get me claws done. Call me when you get out." She goes to let go but he has a hold of her paws, he brings them up to his muzzle and kisses them both before letting her go and turning around to face her.  
"I will. The website said They usually wrap up around nine. maybe we can go get a drink afterwards."  
"Asking me out on a date Mr. Volpe?" She steps up close to him and puts her paws on his side and he does the same.  
"You think I have a chance with a babe like you?"  
"If you behave yourself tonight." She looks right into his eyes. "I'm glad you are doing this for yourself tonight."  
"Well, you have only been bugging me for months now, I figured it was the only way to get you to stop." He has his typical grin on his muzzle but Sharon can tell he is nervous about the meeting.  
"Just give it a shot. You don't have to come back if it doesn't work for you." She pulls away. "See you in a few hours." Sharon turns and walks out of the building. Ray takes a deep breath and heads to the meeting room and opens the door.

Ray is surprised to see what looks like a library in a high class house instead of the tiled floor classroom like space he expected. A nice tan carpet covers the floor and the walls are covered in a dark colored hardwood paneling. In place of the plastic seats there are comfortable looking high back chairs of various sizes facing a single chair in the middle. A beautiful female snow leopard sits in the center chair currently conversing with a brown male river otter. She is wearing a simple blue dress that expresses comfort rather then fashion, and the otter is wearing a light green shirt covered by a darker green knit sweater and a pair of glasses perched on his nose. She looks up as he enters and speak to him in an accent that sounds european of some sort.  
"Hello, are you here for the meeting?" She says with a warm smile.  
"Yes, I e-mailed you earlier?" the fox says nervously as he looks around the room.  
"You must be Raymond. Please come in and have a seat. My name is Sally and this is Emmet." She extends a hand to the otter. "I am so glad you came early like I asked so I can go over a few rules we have here for the safety of our friends." she motions towards the chairs in front of her and as Ray leans his cane up against the side of one and climbs up. She continues.  
"First I must ask that everything that is said in this room be kept confidential. You may share anything you like but please do not discuss anything talked about here outside the meetings, even with other members. And we only use first names here, it keeps things informal and it protects the identities of our friends. The last thing is we welcome both those mammals that were dosed and those that were attacked. Please remember that all are victims of this situation, we are here to discuss and heal, not judge. Now if you sit tight mammals should be showing up shortly."  
As if on cue Ray hears the door open and a booming voice rings out.  
"Hello Sally, Hi Emmet."  
Ray looks around the back of his chair and sees a large black bear that he recognizes from the news coverage walk into the room.  
"Jim, good to see you again, how is your daughter." Sally greets the bear with the same warm smile that seems to be perpetually on her muzzle. Emmet waves to the bear with a smile of his own.  
"Doing well. Turns our it was just a cold and she is back to her normal rambunctious self."  
"Good to hear." Sally says getting up to get a hug from the large mammal. She turns to the fox and introduces him.  
"Jim, this is a new friend, Raymond."  
Ray stands as the bear offers a paw, his white paw dwarfed by the larger mammals own.  
"A pleasure to meet you, Raymond."  
"Likewise, and please, just Ray. I only get called Raymond when I am getting yelled at by my girlfriend."  
This earns a laugh from the bear, Ray can feel the vibrations in his chest from the baritone voice.  
"I know what you mean. I can't hear the name, James, without cringing in fear."

Soon the rest of the mammals filter in. about a dozen more. There are a few prey species mixed in, a zebra, a caribou, and a pig, but the rest are predators. Ray gets a surprise when Mr. Manchas walks in, or Theo as the others call him. He sits next to the otter and they shake each others paws like old friends. The meeting starts and Ray sits and listens to others talk, some if them talk about dealing with the nightmares and the public view of them since many of them for on the news. He learns that Emmet is actually the one that gave Theo the scar across his eye, and that they have become good friends despite the attack. The zebra shares how he is learning to trust his fellow mammals around the city again after being attacked. During a pause in the conversation, Sally turns to Ray and asks.  
"Ray? would you like to share today?" An encouraging look on her face.  
"I'm not sure were to start." Ray says, nervously fidgeting with his tail as he looks around the group.  
"Why don't you start with the basics. Where you dosed or were you attacked?"  
"Umm I was dosed." Ray says softly.  
"Wait, I know all the mammals that Bellwether had shot and there was no fox." The pig says.  
"Jerry, please let him tell his tale."  
"It's ok. It wasn't Bellwether that dosed me, it was another… group." This gets the attention of all the mammals in the room and at least one gasp. "I can't go into too much detail because the ZPD is still investigating the case, but there was a group of… lets say non law abiding mammals, that was trying to develop that flower into a drug they could use." Ray looks around the room and notices a few looks of distrust among the 'friends' in the room. "I wasn't involved with them, I just got stuck in the wrong spot at the wrong time… I stuck my neck out to help someone and well. I was too close when they had an accident in their lab. I inhaled some of the drug they were working on and…" Ray sits in silence for a few moments, playing with his tail when Sally softly says.  
"It's ok if you want to stop, Ray. Nobody is pressuring you."  
Ray takes a breath and spits out.  
"I killed three of them with my bare paws." he sees the faces of the others in the room and instead of the shock or horror he expected he sees companion and sorrow. "I know they were really bad mammals and they… well if you knew what they were doing you would know they deserved it, but I still can't help but feel like some sort of evil... thing. I…" Ray looks up to see the bear standing in front of him. he reaches down and picks up the fox into a giant hug.  
"You are not evil, my friend." The bear says as he holds the fox. "The evil ones are the ones who use the Night Howlers to poison others like us." Ray's shock from being picked up suddenly starts to fade as he realizes how silly he must look in the bear's grasp. His nervousness fading at the absurdity of the situation.  
"Jim, stop smothering him." a wolf, Frank, says to the bear.  
"Sorry, I though he need a hug and.. "  
"It's fine, I think I did need that actually." Ray interrupts. He is starting to smile.  
Emmet then asks, concern on his muzzle. "The group experimenting with the Night Howlers, did the cops get them?"  
"Yeah, they gathered them all up." Ray says, leaving out the fact that they used body bags. "And they are keeping an eye out for anyone else trying the same thing."  
"That is so good to hear." Sally says.

The meeting continues and Ray finds himself able to share more now that the ice has been broken. Nine o clock rolls around soon and they close out. Ray exchanging paw shakes and hugs with the new friends in the group. As he exits the room he is reaching for his phone when he sees Sharon already waiting for him.  
"So, how did it go." She asks after a hello kiss.  
"It was… good, a lot different then I thought it would be."  
"So… and…?" she looks at him expectantly.  
"I will be going again next week." He admits.  
She gives him a big hug at the news.  
"I told you it would be good for you."  
"Yeah yeah, you are always right." he sarcastically mumbles.  
"That's because I am the smart one in this relationship." She grabs his paw and starts to walk towards the street. "Now lets go find someplace to have that drink."  
"Besides." Ray says with a smirk forming on his face. "The girl that runs it is really cute."  
Sharon pinches the smiling fox in the side under his ribs causing him to yip loudly. Several other mammals turn and look at the pair.  
"What?, can't you take a joke?" Ray says paws outstretched and upturned, sporting a mock pained expression.  
"Sure I can, I'm taking one out for drinks." It is Sharon's turn to wear the smirk on her muzzle.


	23. Mother Calling

Mother Calling

Sharon and Ray's Apartment, 9 months after Ray's Story

"Yes, vacation. You do know what that is?" Sharon says to Ray.  
"That's the thing that other people do. Right?" Ray says as he slices vegetables for the nights meal.  
"I was thinking it is something we can do. You know, as a couple. It is what couples do." Sharon says over her shoulder as she goes into the refrigerator and takes out a some packages of fish.  
"And what did you have in mind?" The fox says as he stuffs some carrot slices in his mouth then moves on to the cucumbers.  
"A cruise, down in the tropics."  
"Umph." Ray finishes chewing and swallows the carrots. "Like on a boat? Sounds boring."  
"Yes, on a boat." She starts breading the fish shaking her head at her fox's comment. "And it's not boring, it's relaxing. Fancy meals and drinks every day, live shows…"  
"I don't know."  
"… lounging on the deck in my new bikini…"  
"Got my attention." Ray's ears perk up and his tail twitches a bit.  
"A whole week together with no work getting in the way." Sharon gives a sultry look over her shoulder.  
"Go on." his tail is wagging at this point, but abruptly stops and his ears drop as the coyotes phone starts ringing. "Just when we were getting to the good part."  
"I hope it's not work…" Sharon quickly wipes her paws on a towel and grabs the phone off the counter. "Oh, It's mom…. Hi mom." She says into the cellphone.

"Not much, just getting some dinner ready." She says as she leans up against the counter.

"Yeah, Ray got some salmon from the market."

"Yes, mother, he is still here." Ray gives a sideways glance at this.

"No, I don't think I will get over him and find a nice coyote." Ray sticks his tongue out, childishly, at her. Sharon returns a scolding gaze.

"And whats wrong with that?"

"I don't think there is anything wrong with marrying a fox." This amuses ray a bit. Sharon continues. "Besides, we haven't really talked about it. We have only been together for six months now." Ray thinks for a second then holds up seven fingers in front of him, Sharon waves him off dismissively.

"Don't you have enough grandpups already. You have four with Cindy and more on the way with Amy." Ray's suppresses a giggle at Sharon's apparent exasperation. Obviously this is a conversation that has happened before.

"No, that's not true. There is a chance we can have our own." Ray's face turns to surprise, this is not something he has thought of before. "Current research puts it at about ten percent compatibility between a Vulpes and a Canis." Sharon is smiling at Ray's reaction, suppressing a giggle of her own.

"No, I'm not planning on having any…at least not right now." Ray is daydreaming about little white and black speckled coyote-foxes running around. Sharon seems to know what Ray is thinking and is smiling warmly at her fox.

"Because I am a doctor, I research things like this."

"No, he's not like that, mother." Ray, snapping out of his daydream looks at Sharon questioningly but she turns away from him so he can't read her face.

"He would."

"He would run out and buy a ring today if it came to that." Ray, with his typical 'up to no good' smirk grabs slice of carrot and starts carving.

"You should talk, mother. I know your wedding day, and Cindy's birthday, and I can do math. I am surprised grandpa is not holding a shotgun in the pictures." Ray comes up to Sharon and grabs her left paw. He gets down on one knee and slips a carrot slice he carved into a ring over her finger. Sharon can't help but let out a brief laugh at this.

"Nothing, just Ray being silly again." She hold out her paw like she is admiring a expensive ring as Ray returns to the table and the salad he is making.

"He is right here, helping me with dinner." She slips the carrot off her finger and pops it in her mouth.

"mmm If I could get him to take out the garbage and clean up his dirty clothes he would be perfect." She give Ray an accusatory glance as he looks at her with a hurt expression.

"I'm kidding mother, and I am sure that when we are ready he will get me a nice ring. Maybe gold, with a big sapphire on it, size five and a half." She stares right at the fox. Ray mimics writing down notes on a notepad.

"Yes mom."

"I will check my work schedule to see if I am free that weekend"

"Ok mom, now I need to get back to cooking, my fox is starving over here."

"Yes, I will. Give dad a kiss for me. Bye bye."

She disconnects the phone and turns back to prepping the fish fillets.  
"What was that about?" Ray asks as he slides the cut veggies into a bowl already filled with lettuce.  
"Mom wants to have everyone over for dinner in a few weeks." Sharon dips the fish in the batter then covers them in breading to be fried.  
"Everyone?" Ray asks.  
"Yes, she said you can come."  
"She really does not like me, does she?" Ray says as he limps to the sink bringing the cutting board and knife to be washed.  
"She is coming around. You are more of… an acquired taste."  
Ray comes up behind Sharon, wrapping his arms around her waste, he plants a kiss on the back of her neck.  
"You mean it wasn't love at first sight?" He says, breathing in her sent.  
"Considering when I first saw you, you were bleeding all over my operating table? No. It was more like you pestering me until I surrendered." She stands with her batter covered hands in front of her, unable to continue due to the fox's embrace and unable to return the embrace without messing up his fur.  
"Good thing I am persistent then huh?" he says over her shoulder.  
"Stubborn, more like it."  
"That too."  
"Now get off or we will never eat." She tries to shake her hips to dislodge the amorous fox.  
"I can think of something I want to eat." He says nibbling on her neck.  
She swats his muzzle, getting batter on his snout. He backs off and grabs a dish towel off the hanger by the stove as she laughs at him.  
"Not now, you rascal." She says to him as he tries to clean the oily fluid out of his fur. "Make yourself useful and get something to drink ready."  
"We can pop open a bottle of wine." Ray says as he goes over to the pantry.  
"Not tonight, I'm on call."  
"Juice it is." Ray says a little disappointed. He grabs a bottle from the shelf and heads back to the table. As he sits down he asks. "A sapphire?"  
"I want it to match my eyes. Duh."

* * *

OK, this one was complete fluff... but I don't care.


	24. Karma

Some language in this one. then again the story is rated M so it shouldn't be a problem.

* * *

Karma

Sahara Square Athletic Center, a little over 9 months after Ray's Story

The annual Sahara Square fair is in full swing, with mammals of all sizes and breeds enjoying the games, rides, and food the carnival offers. Walking through the food court, Ray and Sharon are holding paws. Sharon has a large stuffed animal, a frog, in the other.

"So, is this a satisfactory birthday, honey?" Ray asks with a hint of teasing in his voice.  
"I don't know. You only won me the medium sized prize, not the large." She waves the stuffed frog in front of Ray, but her smile and her wagging tail betray her true feelings.  
"Oh come on, you know those games are rigged." He replies. Just then a voice yells out from the side of him.  
"Volpe!"  
He turns to look and is met with a grey fist striking him in the jaw. He stagers back as Sharon gasps, but immediately recovers into a fighting stance, cane ready like a club. He makes sure to put himself between the threat and his mate. In front of him stands a grey wolf and his two friends, they are dressed in black cargo shorts and black t-shirts sporting various heavy metal band names. The leader is smiling at Ray, paws still clenched in fists, ready to fight.  
"Jared, always a pleasure to see you." Ray say with contempt practically dripping off his words. Several mammals around them are watching, some make a hasty get away, and Ray notices at least one making a hurried phone call.  
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Sharon yells at the wolf.  
"You cost me a shitload of money, Volpe." The wolf says, ignoring Sharon completely.  
"What, finally went out and bought a clue like I have been telling you?"  
"No you little shit, that new toy the cops have, they caught me with some tuned up cruiser they just got and that hippo bitch impounded my car, cost an arm and a leg to get it out of lockup. Word on the street is that you are the one that gave them that fucking car." The wolf spits out as he steps closer to the couple, obviously looking for a fight. His two buddies also advance, determined to make sure the odds stay on their side. A crowd of curious onlookers start to form around them, filling the isle between food booths.  
Ray busts out into a wide grin, blood evident on the left side of his teeth from the shot he took.  
"Good to see my hard work is paying off." in his head he is making a plan to take out the two other wolves, as he knows he can take on Jared easily. A hand on his shoulder reminds him he has someone else to worry about and starts to reconsider attacking.  
"Ray, lets just get out of here." Sharon says in his ear.  
"Yeah, listen to your bitch, fox. Run away like the coward you are." the wolf taunts, trying to goad Ray into a fight. Ray's smile disappears at the insult to Sharon and a growl forms in his throat. A paw grabs his own, squeezing tight, silencing him.  
"Raymond, he is not worth it. Security is probably on the way."  
"Listen cunt, stay out of this. The males are talking." Jared says to a now angry coyote. Ray finds it is him squeezing Sharon's hand to calm her after the foolish wolf's words. Just then a shout comes from behind them.  
"ZPD, move aside, coming though!"  
The three wolves turn and push their way through the crowd in the opposite direction. A timber wolf and a jackal, both dressed in ZPD uniforms bust through the crowd behind Ray and Sharon. The jackal spots the fleeing wolves and yells after them.  
"Stop right there."  
But seeing them dive out of sight behind a tent decides pursuing them through the crowd will be a waste of effort. The timber wolf turns to the couple. Looking at Ray his eyes narrow and he sniffs the air.  
"Oh, it's you." He says, a bit of contempt apparent in his tone.  
"Officer Greystone, what a pleasant surprise." Ray says flatly. The crowd around them disperses, as the entertainment seems to be over.  
"Know this fox?" The jackal asks of his partner as he walks back.  
"Yeah, I've pulled him over more then a few times before." The wolf replies  
"I can honestly say I was not speeding this time, officer."  
"Oh for…" The wolfs shakes his head. " What happened here."  
"Those wolves sucker punched Ray and tried to start a fight." Sharon says hurriedly, still clutching Ray's paw.  
"What did he say to provoke the attack?" The wolf officer says accusingly.  
"He didn't say anythi…" Sharon is cut off as Ray squeezes her paw and shakes his head.  
"Honey, I'm sure the officers have much more important things to do then talk to some fox." he states sarcastically. "Let's just go, I want to try those deep fried crickets at the end of the row here." He pulls Sharon along away from the two officers. The wolf calls out.  
"You better behave now, we have a new tool to catch wannabe racers like you, fox."  
"Oh, you mean car 403?" Ray says turning towards the officer walking backwards. "Yeah, I know all about that. I'm the one that built it." He spreads his arms and bows, smiling at the confused expression on the wolfs muzzle. Ray spins back around looping his arm in Sharon's as they walk down the row of food trailers.

Sharon looks at ray and pulls him aside next to a trailer selling pastries and grabs his head, looking at his bleeding lip. She pulls some napkins out of a holder on a shelf bolted to the side of the trailer and starts dabbing at his bloody lip.  
"Hold still." She angles his head so she can examine the cut. "I can't believe the nerve of that cop, accusing you of starting that."  
"He is usually worse then that to foxes, probably was nicer to me because you were there."  
Sharon grabs ray by the muzzle, forcing his mouth closed.  
"I said hold still. That means no talking." She continues to hold the fox's muzzle shut until she is satisfied with her examination. She releases his muzzle and gives him a playful flick right on the nose.  
"You'll be fine, we should get some ice on it though to keep the swelling down."  
"Your the doc…doc."  
"Don't worry about that wolf, I am sure karma will take care of him in the end." Sharon says.  
Ray's eyes light up and a smile spreads across his muzzle once again. Sharon sees this and gets a worried look.  
"Honey, you are right, I will let Karma deal with him." Ray says pulling out his phone and finding a number in the contacts.  
"What are you up to, fox? Who are you calling?" Sharon asks.  
Ray holds up a finger as the phone rings.  
"Karma! how are you doing, my dear?" Ray says into the phone. Sharon looks on waiting for an explanation.  
"Doing good, listen, I just ran into your 'boyfriend' here at the fair and was wondering if you want to help me out with something." Sharon picks up that the word 'boyfriend' might not be completely truthful.  
"Yeah, he insulted my girl so…"  
"About seven months now."  
"Very serious."  
"No, a coyote. I think you'd like her." He looks up at Sharon warmly. She is standing with her arms crossed and a slightly puzzled look on her face.  
"That might be fun. Listen, that punk needs to be taken down peg so I figure if you come by the shop later this week I will hook you up with a little something and then, well, remember how i got you. Yeah do the same to him." Sharon gets a more puzzled look at this.  
"No, don't worry about it. No charge. Knowing it was you will be enough."  
"No really."  
"Yeah, Wednesday will be fine."  
"Yeah, give Cara my love, see you then."  
"Another one of your exes?" Sharon asks as ray stows the phone in his pocket, a bit of jealousy in her voice.  
"No, she would not be interested in me. She might be more interested in you." Ray retorts.  
"Oh?… OH!" Sharon realizes what Ray means.  
Ray stands there with a distant look, caught up in a daydream a slight smile on his lips. Sharon looks at the fox and guesses what he is thinking.  
"No! Don't even think about it, Raymond. Not even a chance." Sharon says, a blush forming under her fur. They start walking down the row of food booths again.  
"Aww, another fantasy, ruined. Don't worry, she's taken. Cara was actually Jarod's girlfriend before Cathy, thats Karma's real name, rescued her from him."  
"Rescued?"  
"Yeah, he is a scum bag through and through. Treated her like shit and had her too scared to leave. Karma came along and basically dragged her away. Jarod has hated her ever since and Cathy does anything to put him down for what he did to Cara."  
"And you are putting fuel on the fire."  
"No, just fanning the flames in a specific direction." He grins at the coyote. She shakes her head.  
"And what did you do to this Karma that you want done to him?" She eyes the fox as she asks.  
"I hustled her out of a good chunk of change during a race once. Figure the bastard only cares about his car and his wallet so might as well help Karma hit him where it hurts." He stops suddenly at a booth they were walking past as he notices the sign. He turns to the bored looking goat youth in the trailer and says.  
"One large strawberry Icy please." He looks at Sharon and adds. "Make it an extra large and two spoons."  
As the youth starts scooping out the frozen treat Ray turns to Sharon.  
"You said I needed ice for my lip, you never said what flavor."  
"You are like a little pup, you know that?" She says rolling her eyes.

Volte Automotive, two weeks later

Ray and Sharon are sitting on the couch in the front waiting area of the shop. There is no work scheduled, so Ray gave Toast the week off and Sharon is hanging out to keep Ray company until her shift at the hospital later that night. The fox is busy scouring the internet on his laptop, looking for a new project car, while she is reclined, reading a novel, feet pressed against his thigh.

A car pulls into the front lot causing Ray to look up from his browsing. He sees a bright neon green Lynxus RG, outfitted with an oversized spoiler and fender flares. He snaps the laptop closed and jumps up suddenly, startling Sharon.  
"That's Jarod's car." He grabs his cane and starts for the door. Sharon gets up also, with a concerned look, just then a second car, a pearl white Mitsubisheep Evo with pink ghost flames, pulls in and parks next to the first car.  
"And that is Karma's… what is going on?" As he reaches the door a tall female timber wolf gets out of the Lynxus. She is wearing tight faded blue jeans and a white tank top. She has piercings going all along her left ear and her tail is dyed a bright purple.  
"Karma!" Ray exclaims as he opens the door. "You… you didn't?"  
The wolf, practically jumping up and down, exclaims.  
"I did, I got that bastard good."  
The door to the Evo opens and a slim, petite timber wolf gets out. She is wearing a pair of black shorts and a light blue blouse. Her tail is dyed a matching purple.  
"Cara, good to see you, come in, come in." Ray says, holding the door open for the to female wolves.  
Once inside Ray introduces all the girls to each other.  
"Sharon, this is Cathy and Cara. Girls, this my girlfriend, Dr. Sharon Wiley."  
Karma takes Sharon's paw and shakes it.  
"It is a pleasure to finally meet the one who stole our fox away from us. Please tell me you are keeping him out of trouble." The wolf says.  
"I have been trying, but he seems to have a knack for finding it everywhere we go." Sharon replies.  
The girls share a laugh at the fox's expense and find seats around the waiting area. Ray talks to Karma. As Sharon and Cara get to know each other as they sit on the couch.  
"You have to tell me all the juicy details. I can't believe he ran you for pinks."  
"I can't either, I had him on the hook for four grand and was trying to get him to go for ten, but he didn't have it. So, I jokingly said we should put our cars up and the fool said yes."  
"Oh that is great." the fox says practically doubled over in laughter. "Please tell me you embarrassed him on that run."  
"Did I ever, I gave him a whole car length at the start and then sailed by him at half track. Get this, the bastard tried to back out afterward, but guess who showed up?" Karma is again almost bouncing with excitement.  
"I have no idea, who?"  
"Larry."  
"What? no? He showed up, it's been what? a year since he's be out at a run?" Ray's shock is evident on his face.  
"Yeah, he heard I was putting the hurt down on dickhead and wanted to see for himself. told him to follow through on the bet or else he pulls his invite for good."  
"Oh that is rich."  
"So anyway. I am not here just to brag. I want to sell this thing off." Karma says, pointing outside at the green car. "Figured I owe you for the work you put in so I'll let it go cheap."  
"You don't have to do that. knowing you put Jarod down so hard is enough, I told you."  
"Stuff it Ray. I don't like owing anyone anything, you know that. Ten k and it's yours."  
Ray looks at her in disbelief. $10,000 isn't even half what the car is worth.  
"Are you sure?" He asks.  
"Take it Ray."  
"Alright. Hang out for a bit I get the papers and cash out of the office. You do take cash right?" He says teasingly as he gets up.  
"You always knew how to woo me, Ray." Karma returns.

After a few minutes Ray exits from the office with some paperwork and a small bag. The hushed conversation that all three girls were having suddenly stops when he emerges and they all look at him, grinning. He stops dead in his tracks and looks at the trio.  
"How come I feel like I'm in trouble right now?"  
"You're always in trouble, fox." Sharon says to the delight of the other females.  
"We were just talking some girl talk." Cara says.  
"That's what I'm afraid of." Ray replies. He lets a folder down in front of Karma and opens it. "Alright, all you have to do is sign here and hand me the keys."  
As Karma reads over the paperwork Sharon states.  
"You know these two are getting married in a couple months?"  
"Really? Congratulations you two." Ray says as they both hold up their paws sporting identical diamond rings.  
"You're both invited." Cara beams.  
"Wouldn't miss it. Besides, it's not everyday I get this one to dress up." Sharon teases.

Karma finishes reading the contract and signs her name on the lines required, she then drops the keys on table and Ray plops down the bag. They say their goodbyes and as Sharon gives Karma a hug she looks over and sees Ray giving them a leering grin.  
"Raymond, Stop that!" Sharon yells.  
Karma laughs and comments. "Always the pervert." She then says to Sharon. "You keep an eye on that one." They share a smile.  
Cara turns to Karma and whispers something to her, she has the bag open and was checking the contents.  
"Ray!" Karma says sharpy. Sharon looks worriedly, thinking he might have shorted them. "There is too much in here."  
"Think of it as a early wedding present, just make sure I get an extra slice of cake." He says with a wide grin.  
They leave with a wave and Ray turns to the coyote.  
"So, I guess we have a Lynxus now."  
"That color has got to go. It is uglier then that yellow car." Sharon says, looking out the window at the car.  
"That car wasn't ugly. It was flashy."  
"Your sense of style is broken, Volpe."  
"Fine, you pick the color then." He says as he sticks his tongue out at her.  
"I will." She returns the gesture.  
He reaches behind the counter for a color reference catalog and lays it down in front of Sharon, then goes out to pull the car into the shop.

* * *

Karma's a bitch... get it? a female wolf?... ok I'll stop now. :p


	25. Family Time

Family Time

The Wiley Residence, Canyonlands, Sahara Square, 9 and a half months after Ray's Story

"Make a left here." Sharon says to Ray.  
They are riding in the white station wagon through a suburb in the western part of Canyonlands, just outside of Coyote Canyon.  
"At this stop sign make a right." She instructs.  
Ray drives down a small street filled with mostly ranch style houses, pastel colors seem to be the theme to most of the residences, With the occasional adobe structure here and there.  
"And there it is, that yellow house on the left." Sharon tells the fox.  
Ray pulls the car into a wide driveway, already occupied by several cars and a minivan.  
"So this is Casa De Wiley, huh?" Ray says as he looks over the house.  
A medium mammal sized Ranch house with a attached garage. the yard is well maintained with a rock garden and some cacti lining the one side. A brick walkway leads from the driveway to the front door.  
"Yup, this is home." Sharon says. "Here, take the bag with the food in it." She hands him a tote bag with some plastic food containers.  
As they get to the door, Ray reaches for the doorbell. Sharon unceremoniously reaches over his arm, knocking it out of the way as she grabs the doorknob and opens the door. As she steps inside, followed by the fox, she calls out.  
"Mom, Dad, we're here!"  
A cry of young voices from inside answers.  
"Aunt Sharon! Aunt Sharon!"  
Four coyote pups, two slightly older boys, about 7 years old, and a younger girl and boy, both about 4, come running to the doorway at the new arrivals.  
Sharon crouches down and spreads her arms as the young ones get near. They all pile in into a big group hug with their aunt as Ray looks on. One of the older boys, seeing Ray, asks.  
"Whose that?"  
"Luke, that is my boyfriend, Ray." Sharon answers as he disentangles herself from the pups and stands up.  
"He's a funny looking coyote." The other elder boy says.  
"James!" Sharon scolds, but Ray just laughs.  
"I may be funny looking for a coyote, but I am perfect fine looking fox." Ray says, matter of factly.  
"Foxes are red." the youngest boy says. Ray recalls that his name is Markus.  
"A lot of us are. but I happen to be a different color fox, called a Marble Fox." Ray tells the pups.  
"How come I aint never seen one before?" asks Luke.  
"Well, as far as I know, I am the only one in all of Zootopia. The only other Marble I ever met was my grandpa." Ray notices there only seems to be three pups in front of him now. He glances around and see the young girl has someone gotten behind him and is slowly reaching out to touch his tail.  
"There are none of you left?" Luke inquires.  
"It's not like that, I'm just a regular Red Fox, I just have a very rare fur color. There are a few around the country that I know about." Ray keeps an eye on the young girl, Kimberly, as she strokes his tail with a big grin on her muzzle. The boys, seemingly bored with the questions go running off suddenly, back deeper into the house were they came from. Ray hears one of them exclaim.  
"Mommy, Aunt Sharon has a funny looking fox as a boyfriend."  
Sharon is watching Kim stroke Rays tail with fascination. Suddenly Ray twitches his tail so that it jumps up into her face. This sends the young coyote into a fit of giggles as she tries to grab onto the fox's tail.  
"Looks like you have a new friend" Sharon says to Ray as they head into the house, Kim being pulled along by Ray's tail.

Dinner is server after introductions were Ray meets the pups parents, Cindy and Steven, and Sharon's other sister, Amy, and her husband, Joseph. The conversation is light, focusing mostly on Ray as he is the new face at the table. The usual questions about his job and history. They spend some time talking about his work with the ZPD. After dinner, the males and the pups all go into the living room while the girls stay at the table and continue talking over coffee.

"You're serious about this fox, aren't you?" Asks Sharon's little sister, Amy.  
"It's working out between us, yeah." Sharon says with a smile.  
"Come on, give us the dirt. Every time you talk about him it's, Ray is so good at this, and Ray is perfect that. Everyone has flaws. What are loverboy's in there. We can't know if we should let him marry our sister till we get to know him, warts and all." Cindy demands.  
"Everyone is in a hurry to marry me off, it seems." Sharon sighs. "Well, he can be stubborn at times."  
"Aren't we all, give us something more then that." Cindy Says.  
"Oh, I though I knew stubborn till I met him. Hell, that is how we started dating. He was a patient of mine and he kept asking me out every time he saw me. I mean, every, single, time. Finally, when he was done with his checkup schedule, he practically made all the plans before I even agreed to go. Never mean or creepy or anything, just, determined."  
A happy yell from in the living room interrupts the conversation. Sharon looks into the room and sees that while the two adult coyotes are sitting watching some kind of sports on the TV, and the older pups are playing their gamepads, Ray is laying on his back on the floor with Kim in his hands, waving her around in the air like she is flying, while Markus is climbing on top of his stomach.  
"That's another thing. What was he in the hospital for, he seemed to avoid that question mom asked it before." Cindy questions.  
"It was kinda traumatic for him. he doesn't like talking about it to many people." Sharon says quietly.  
"Well, what was it?" Amy asks.  
Sharon thinks about exactly how much to tell them, then says. "He got into a fight."  
"A fight? Must have been one heck of a fight to land him in the hospital for that long." Cindy says.  
"I am not sure if I like the fact that he is going around getting into fights like that." Her mother says.  
"He doesn't make a habit of it, Mom. He had a good reason."  
"And this is?" Her mom inquires.  
"There were some girls that were in danger. Ray ran in to help. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but he did it for the right reasons. He saved their lives." Sharon says.  
Sharon looks into the living room again. Ray now is on all fours pouncing at the two young cubs as they scurry away from him. She frowns a bit when she notices that he is favoring the one leg due to the injury to his right. Something that will never fully heal. He seems to be adapted to it, and he never complains about it to her, even though she knows it hurts him sometimes.  
"So he is stubborn, and runs off to play hero without thinking. What else?" Cindy Grills.  
"Why does there have to be something else." Sharon exclaims.  
"Oh come on, out with it." Amy demands.  
Sharon lets out a deep breath. "He… He can be closed up about his emotions."  
"So he's a male, that not news." Amy chides.  
"No it's more then that. After the… fight, he was having problems, nightmares and such. it took me months to get him to talk about it, and even longer to get help. It just frustrates me sometimes. He is so good at listening to me and being there for me when I need it, but he gets so closed off when something is bothering him."  
"Anything else?" Cindy asks.  
"No that's it. I swear." Sharon demands.  
They all get up to look into the living room as Ray plays with the pups. He has his tail in his hands and is swatting the two young ones back and forth as they laugh and try and catch it. Cindy watches Sharon looking at the fox then proclaims.  
"Well, I guess he is good enough, we will let you keep him." Amy laughs at this.  
"Oh thanks. I was going to keep him anyway, no matter what you said." Sharon states, then look at her mother. "What about you mom? Has he won you over yet?"  
"He's good with the pups." She says.  
Sharon laughs and says.  
"Fine, It's settled, he stays, now enough about me, what about this baby shower Amy?"

They sit and talk for over an hour, planning the details of the party and the invite list. Suddenly Cindy looks up like she just noticed something. She cocks her head and listens.  
"It's quiet in there." She says.  
She gets up and looks into the living room and immediately breaks out into a wide grin.  
"Oh Sharon, you have got to see this." She says in a whisper.  
Sharon gets up and peers into the room as Amy and her mother follow with curiosity. Ray is laying on the couch with his left leg draped over the side and his mouth open in a gentle snore. In the crook of his arm, Markus lays with a pacifier in his mouth. Kim is laying face down, arms outstretched in a hug on Ray's stomach with Ray's tail is grasped in her one paw. She is moving up and down with every breath the fox takes. All three of them sound asleep.  
"He actually wore them out." Cindy whispers with a hint of disbelief in her voice. "If you don't keep him, I am gonna steal him away as a nanny." Cindy continues as Sharon takes a photo with her phone.


	26. Deja Vu

Deja Vu

Savanna Central, 9 and a half months after Ray's Story.

Ray drives a half green, half primer Lynxus around the streets of Zootopia at night, giving the car a shakedown run to make sure all of his modifications are trouble free. Gone is the huge wing and over flared fenders, instead replaced by a more modest body kit and a small, but functional lip on the back of the trunk. The flashy wheels are also gone, replaced with a set of 5 spoke rims that Sharon picked out for him. He pulls around one of the back streets and comes to a stop at a red light. A few seconds later, another car pulls up behind him, he glances back to make sure it isn't a police car, then turns his attention back to the traffic signal when he sees it's just an ordinary SUV. He doesn't notice the drivers door opening behind him or the black figure walking up to his car, so he is startled by the voice that calls to him through his open window.  
"Hello, fox!"  
He barely has time to react before he feels a sharp prick in his neck. Immediately the world goes black as the drug injected into him by a jackal standing at his window takes effect. The jackal looks around the empty street before pulling the limp fox out of his car and stuffing him in the back seat of the Lynxus. He then jumps into the driver seat and drives off as an unknown mammal takes control over the SUV and follows. Neither of them see the young squirrel couple sitting in the tree across the street, hiding from their parents for a make out session. After the vehicles leave, the squirrel boy pulls out his phone and dials 911.

Ray awakens with a splitting headache. A single fluorescent bulb illuminates a concrete walled room with no windows and a single steel door. He pulls at his arms, but they are bound behind him by a pair of handcuffs to some sort of metal pipe. The chair he is sitting on, is a plain, made of wood. He looks around, trying to get his bearings but there is little in the way of references. He guesses he must be in some sort of factory by the smell of machinery and oil, but other then that the bare room offers no clues. The only other feature is a small security camera on the far wall by the door that is currently trained on him. A small red light hints that the camera is functioning, letting him know he is being watched. Ray starts racking his brain, trying to figure out a way to get himself out of this latest jam he has found himself in.

A cellphone rings in a small home in the Rainforest District. Dawn reaches over to her nightstand and hits the answer call icon.  
"Stamen here," She says sleepily into the phone.  
A gruff voice speaks through the phone.  
"Officer Stanmen? This is Chief Bogo from District One. There has been an abduction in Savanna Central."  
"An abduction? that's out of my jurisdiction, why are you calling me?" She asks.  
"The abductee was what the witnesses described as a black and white fox like mammal driving some sort of suped up street car. We think it might be that fox you work with."  
"Shit. I mean… Sorry.. I will be at H.Q. in a half an hour chief."  
"I will see you there." The line goes dead as the chief hangs up.  
Dawn immediately selects a contact labeled 'Damn Fox' and hits dial. the waits on the phone till it reaches voicemail and hangs up. She tries again with the same result and hangs then selects Sharon's number and calls.  
"Dawn, it's late. What's the matter," Answers Sharon on the other end.  
"Where's Ray?" She asks right away.  
"He said he was working late tonight, finishing up the car. Is something wrong?" Panic hitting her voice.  
"I don't know yet. I will be by in a fifteen minutes to pick you up."  
"Oh gods. what is going on."  
"I don't know yet. I will be right there."  
She hangs up the phone and quickly gets dressed. she runs out to her car and is away immediately. She flips a switch and the red and blue lights come on in the grill of the car as she speeds away down the road.

Ray has come up with a couple of ways to get out of the room he is in. Unfortunately all of them will probably end up with him dead, as he has no idea what is beyond the door, or who is watching the camera. As he sits there and debates trying it anyway, and praying he gets away, he starts to hear a commotion from outside the door. The door opens and a rhino walks in followed by a wolf that is dragging a rabbit by the arm. Both mammals are armed, the wolf a pistol he keeps trained on the rabbit and the rhino a shotgun. The rhino is carrying a chair which he unceremoniously sets down next to Ray against the pipe that is running along the wall. The wolf practically tosses the bunny into the chair as he struggles to get away and, as the rhino holds him down, attaches the cuffs to a section of the pipe behind the rabbits back. The rhino turns to Ray and lets out a grunt in his face to intimidate him, Ray responds by sticking his tongue out. The rhino shakes his head and walks out, followed by the wolf that ignores him completely. As the door latches he turns to look over at the rabbit sitting next to him.

The rabbit, a grey buck with distinct tiger like black stripes on his face and ears, is wearing a black tactical uniform. It appears everything has been hurriedly removed from it as is evident by several torn straps and buckles. The corner of his mouth is bleeding and his one eye is swollen.  
"Looks like we are roommates," Ray says to the bunny, "My name's Ray."  
The rabbit turns to him and sizes him up. "Jack," He says curtly.  
"I would shake your paw but…" Ray rattles the cuffs against the pipe.  
"Not exactly the Chilton is it?" Jack says a smile starting to form on his face.  
"I don't know. The roaches give it five stars," Ray says with a bit of sarcasm.  
This draws a chuckle from the rabbit.  
"What did you do to earn the ire of these guys?" Jack asks the fox.  
"Don't know. I was sitting in my car when some shadowy guy jabs something into my neck. Next thing I know, I wake up here. Don't even know who I pissed off this time to warrant such treatment. What about you?"  
"I was on recon…" He eyes up Ray and figures it can't hurt now to tell his mission. "I work for the ZBI, I was trying to locate this hideout when I was spotted by some damn bat. He called the goon squad on me and well. Here we are."  
"ZBI? don't you have some sort of laser watch or hidden gun you can use to get us out of here?" Ray asks hopefully.  
"You watch too many movies, my friend. This isn't some adventure story. Besides, they took all my gear when they grabbed me." He says disappointedly.  
"No tracking chips you can alert your buddies? nothing?"  
"Can it, fox. It is bad enough I blew this case by getting caught. Now they will probably call off this pointless vendetta and skip town."  
"Vendetta?"  
"Yeah, they are looking for some mammal they think killed their leaders brother and restore honor to their families name. This is a perfect time to strike and take out what's left of the Chung crime syndicate."  
"Chung? … Oooohhh." Ray's eyes go wide and a worried look appears on his muzzle.  
The rabbit looks at Ray with suspicion.  
"What do you know, fox."  
"I may know… maybe… who… Ok. I am the mammal that killed Chung's brother."  
A confused look come over the rabbit.  
"The reports said everyone died that night."  
"They may have been fudged to protect a certain stupid fox that can't seem to stay out of trouble," Ray states with a guilty look.  
"Then how did Chung's men find you?"  
"I wish I knew. As far as I know, there is no record of me being there at all. And my friend at ZPD would never talk, no matter how much I annoy her."  
"Well, we can figure that out as soon as I get us out of here… somehow." Jack says not believing it himself.  
"I have been trying to think of a way out for a while now," Ray states in a defeated tone.

"Oh gods, that's Ray's car." Sharon says as she watches traffic cam footage on a monitor in ZPD headquarters. "You have to do something!" She turns to the buffalo standing over her. "Please! Find him!"  
"Ma'am, we will do everything we can to bring him home safe." Bogo says. He turns to a tiger officer and says something quietly to him, then sends him off. "Do you have any idea who would want to do harm to Mr. Volpe?"  
"There.. There was this wolf, he started a fight at the fair a few weeks ago. Jacob, I think his name is."  
"I looked into him, small time hood, I don't think he would be able to pull something like this." Dawn states standing behind the pair.  
"I just want him home safe." Sharon says, crying.  
"Got something!" A wolf over at another desk yells.  
On his screen is a close up of another traffic cam shot. in the frame is Ray's car with a streetlight lighting the interior. A black jackal can be seen in the drivers seat. An antelope in a black suit steps forward and looks at the screen. His face turns to a grimace before he turns to Bogo.  
"I know that jackal. He is one of the local thugs hired by Chung and his gang for his operations here in Zootopia."  
"Shit, how did they find out." Dawn curses.  
The antelope turns to her and asks.  
"Just what exactly did he figure out? We have no record of a Mr Volpe being involved at all with the Chung Syndicate."  
Dawn turns to the Chief with a questioning look. He nods to her then goes on to explain.  
"This is agent Hawthhorn from the ZBI. He was called in as is protocol when any kidnapping takes place.  
Dawn sighs.  
"There are a few details that are not in the official reports involving Chung's gang. The fox was very much involved." Dawn explains.  
She then goes on to explain what really happened at the lab.

"So how do you suppose we get ourselves out of this mess." Ray says to rabbit cuffed next to him.  
"It is going to be tough with that camera watching every move we make. Jack replies.  
Ray wiggles his paws behind him as he works on a metal sliver from the pipe he is attached to.  
"That is a problem. Hey, you have a better angle then me. can you read the label on the side of the camera?"  
"I think so." The stripped rabbit cranes his neck over. "It's a 'Keeneye 421'." He looks back at the fox as he too is struggles with the cuffs behind his back.  
"Well that is a bit of good news." Ray says with a smirk.  
"Don't follow."  
"Had those same cameras in my shop before I upgraded the system. They are very popular, cheap, easy to setup, and are total crap."  
"How so?" Jack asks with increasing interest.  
"First off, their resolution is horrible. So I doubt the fur on the other side would be able to tell details, like say, if someone got their cuffs undone."  
There is a small click as Ray gets the sliver of metal into the ratchet of the cuffs and opens the one on his right paw. Ray hears a similar noise from behind the rabbit. Jack just raises an eyebrow as he has an angle to see behind Ray's back.  
"Go on." Jack says.  
"And it lacks two important features. It has no audio, so unless they can read lips, again hard to do with the poor video coming out of that camera, we should be free to talk as long as you don't enunciate too clearly." To make his point Ray turns to the camera and overdramaticaly mouths 'fuck you' to any mammals watching.  
"And the other feature?" Jack says with a smile at the comedic fox.  
"No night vision." he says glancing up at the single long fluorescent tube above their heads."  
"Well that does certainly change things, doesn't it?" Jack says as he is deep in thought.

Agent Hawthhorn rubs the bridge of his long snout with his hoof, his other, holds a phone to the side of his head. He is standing outside of the ZPD HQ front entrance as the sun morning twilight barely begins to show on the horizon.  
"What do you mean he has gone dark!" he yells into the grey device. "I know what 'dark' means! I want to know how we could lose him on a simple recon mission."

"Well, how long has it been since Savage checked in?"

"Where?"

"That is the first piece of useful information you have given to me this whole conversation. I want search teams scouring the south end of Savanna Central within the hour. Find our agent, NOW!"  
He pushed end call and has to restrain himself from throwing the phone against the side of the building. These are the days he hates being a senior agent. Everything is going wrong and he is the one that has to fix it. Back when he was a junior, he could just step back and let the lead take over and deal with the headaches, but not today. Today, he has an agent missing, a civilian that he just found out is a key player in the reason a foreign gang is in town, is also missing, most likely in the paws of said gang, the ZPD has been withholding information about said gang and civilian, and he still doesn't know where their base of operations is at. If Chung succeeds in enacting revenge on this fox he just found out about, he can restore his honor and regain the power he held in his home country. Failure would mean his empire would most likely continue to crumble and fail, something the ZBI and a few international agencies have been helping along ever since the elder brothers death. This might be the only chance they have of ever taking out the whole syndicate, and it rest with them finding, and keeping safe, some damn fox. He reaches subconsciously into his front pocket. When his hoof comes out empty he mutters a curse under his breath. If ever there was a time for a smoke, it was now. His wife just had to make him quit, didn't she? He turns and heads back inside the building to organize the ZPD to join the search for the missing rabbit and fox.

Jack stops talking suddenly as his ears stand straight up.  
"Someone is coming." He says to Ray.  
The door opens shortly afterwards, letting in a hyena and the rhino from before. The rhino has his shotgun on a sling over his shoulder and the hyena, a pistol in a holster on his belt. the hyena is also carrying a roll of duct tape.  
"Come on, the boss said not to hurt them until they are loaded on the boat." The rhino says to his partner.  
"I aint gonna hurt im, just teachin' im some manners." the hyena retorts.  
He walks up to ray and bends over, his muzzle close to the fox's.  
"Mouthin' off ta me, eh? Ya think I aint watchin' over that camera there, fox?"  
"Just blowing you a kiss, sunshine." Ray says with a grin.  
The hyena punches Ray in the stomach, causing him to double over. Jack sees one of his paws come out from behind him for a split second and almost panics, afraid the two will realize their paws are no longer bound. But Ray is able to bring his paws back behind him quick enough that the two criminals do not notice. The Hyena grabs Ray's muzzle, and with his teeth pulls a strip off the roll of tape. He then precedes to wrap the fox's muzzle shut.  
"Now that should keep ya from makin' faces at me, ya little shit." The hyena says as he walks out the door.  
Ray glares at the departing mammal with a look that can melt steel until the door closes, the bursts out into a insanely wide grin under the tape as he turns to Jack. Jack looks back in confusion until he sees the fox motion behind him with his eyes. The rabbit returns the grin when he sees the pistol, lifted from the hyena's holster, in the paws of the fox.

Simon, the hyena, sits at the table with the rhino and wolf playing cards. He is feeling good as he is up a few hundred bucks over the other two. On the side of the table, against the wall, sits an old black and white TV, showing a grainy picture of the two mammals bound to chairs in the room down the hall. His current hand is good, but it could be better, two pair. When it comes around to him he opts for one card. If he gets lucky he will get a matching queen or five. Lifting the car the rhino dealt him to his hand he has to suppress a smile, he got the five and is now sitting with a full house. The round of betting starts and he raises a modest amount, trying to persuade the others to lay out more cash. Suddenly his eye catches a flash to the side and when he turns to look at the screen the picture is completely black.  
"What da fuck?" simon says, banging on the side of the vintage TV.  
"Piece of shit TV probably finally died." The wolf says calmly. "It's your bet, you staying or folding." he continues.  
"If you're so sure, Danny, why don't ya check it out." The hyena says. "And I raise."  
"Fine, but don't fuck with my money." the wolf says as he stands up.  
After he walks away, Simon reaches over to the stack of cash that was in front of the wolf and pulls out several bills, he pockets a few and tosses a couple to the rhino who just sits there and laughs. Suddenly they hear a yell from down the corridor followed immediately by two gunshots. They both jump from their chairs and look down the hallway. they see the fox, that was previously bound in the other room, crouched over the prone form of their partner in crime. The fox looks at them as he removes something from the wolf's pocket then reaches over and picks up the gun that fell from the wolf's paw. Ray gives them a grin, having cut the tape that was binding his mouth, then darts around the corner out of sight. They both rush down the corridor after the fox, the rhino swinging the shotgun to his hoofs. Simon reaches for his gun but finds the holster empty, realization coming to him as he slows to a halt. Suddenly he does not feel so lucky anymore.

"They're coming!" Ray says to the rabbit as they rush through the building.  
Ray's pace is slowed because of his leg, but shear determination is keeping him moving at a decent clip. It is obvious that the rabbit can easily outpace the fox, but the agent is purposely staying with the fox. The pair of them burst through a door just as a large boom comes from behind them. A swarm of shotgun pellets tear through the wall to their right. Ray turns quickly and fires a couple of times through the doorway at the rhino, one of the rounds strikes him in the shoulder but does not even seem to faze him as he racks another round into the shotgun.  
"Shit!" The fox exclaims as he heads into a mostly barren warehouse.  
The run past several scattered boxes. Behind them the door breaks clean off it's hinges as the rhino barrels through. Another boom, and thankfully, another miss.  
"How do you stop a charging rhino? Cause I really want to know," Ray says desperately.  
"Like this!" Jack says.  
The rabbit spins around into a crouching position and takes aim. He fires a burst of three shots in rapid succession at the closing rhino. All three strike the rhino in the left leg, just below the kneecap. A sickening crunch can be heard as the large mammal's leg collapses under his weight and he falls to the ground with a loud thud.  
"Mother fucker!" Screams the rhino in pain, as he writhes in pain on the ground, clutching at his leg.  
The fox and rabbit run for a door on the wall of the warehouse Ray looks over at the ZBI agent with awe.  
"Rhino's legs are weak below the knee, they still haven't fully evolved to walking with all that weight on only two legs." Jack says as he paces the fox.  
"Good to know," Ray says as he pants with exertion.

They open the door on the wall of the building into the early dawn. Looking around Ray spots his Lynxus by the fence in a parking lot.  
"My car!" he says pointing it out to Jack.  
They both make their way to the mismatched color car. Jack reaches the car first and hops into the driver seat.  
"No keys!" He yells to the fox as he begins to reach under the dash to hotwire the car.  
"Move!" Ray yells as he gets to the drivers door shortly after.  
Jack quickly jumps into the passenger seat as Ray dives into the driver side. He reaches under the seat and with his claw, cuts a small incision in the fabric. He pulls a single key out of the hole and jams it into the ignition to start the car. A bang from the building alerts them to the hyena slamming open the door they exited from. He spots the pair in the car and levels the shotgun that he apparently picked up from the downed rhino at the car. Ray takes his pistol and fires wildly at the hyena making him duck back into the building. He then slams the car into gear and takes off, tires spitting gravel behind them.

Ray tosses the now empty pistol he was carrying on the floor at Jack's feet. He shifts gears as they slide around a turn out of the parking lot and down one of the roads between a collection of similar looking warehouses. Between shifts he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cellphone he lifted off the dead wolf and hands it to Jack.  
"Got this from the wolf you shot." he says as the rabbit grabs the phone.  
"Quick thinking there, fox." Jack says as he opens the phones dial pad and starts punching in a number.

As they round a corner down a narrow street, Ray is forced to slam on the breaks as he comes nose to nose with a yellow Furrari that is followed by a black SUV. Ray stares in shock at the panda sitting in the drivers seat of the car as the panda stares with a similar expression back. After a few moments Ray breaks out of the shock and puts the car into reverse. Tires squealing as he backs up quickly into the intersection. He spins the car around and takes off down another direction as he hears the Furrari's engine rev and take off after them.  
"Hawthorne! It's Savage. We just busted out of Chungs hideout and need backup!" Jack shouts into the phone as Ray tries to lose the sports car behind them.  
"I don't know were we are.. we just past a 10th Street and Rock Ave." The rabbit says into the phone. "Were are we?" he asks Ray.  
"In a maze of twist passages, all alike… I don't know… wait. I know this road." he says as he slides around another corner. "Mole harbor warehouse district heading into Gnu York"  
"We just turned north onto 12th street in mole harbor." Jack relays into the phone. "Yes, chung is behind us in his yellow car, and there is another SUV, black, unknown where they are."  
A pop can be heard behind them and Ray curses.  
"Again with the shooting," He says, rather annoyed.  
A ping rings out from the rear of the Lynxus.  
"Stop shooting my car!" The irate fox yells at his pursuer.  
Jack looks at the fox and his outburst.  
"This is the second time I have been chased by that car with a panda shooting at me." Ray explains when he sees the bunny's look.  
"You got away once, you can do it again." Jack says encouragingly.  
"Yeah, but I was in a faster car, and I had a freeway full of traffic to use." Ray says as he weaves down the road.  
Ray sees the SUV round a corner in front of them. Before they can block them in he swerves down a alleyway and crosses to the next street.  
"It's a game of cat and mouse." Jack says.  
"Yeah, but I do not like being the mouse!" Ray yells.  
"Then be the cat." Jack says as he hold up the pistol in his hand with a grin.  
Ray thinks and then jerks the wheel suddenly to the right, cutting through another alley. As he reaches the next street he sees the SUV cross directly in front of him. His guess was right. He quickly turns behind the larger vehicle and accelerates to pass them on the left. As they reach even with the drivers door, Jack takes aim at the oblivious Jackal in the drivers seat. The jackal turns and sees them just as rabbit squeezes the trigger and puts a round into the other mammals head. Ray passes the SUV as it slows and drifts off the side of the road into a fence. the Furrari passes the black truck and more pops can be heard from behind them.  
"Damn!" Jack exclaims.  
"You hit?" Ray asks, worried.  
"No, out of ammo, damn hyena didn't have a full magazine." The agent says as he tosses his gun onto the floor to join the other empty pistol. He then says into the phone he is still holding. "SUV is out of play. we just have Chung."  
"Bad news, this guy is a better driver then his brother." Ray says as the yellow car closes once again.  
"And the good news?" Jack asks.  
"He is a worse shot." The fox says as more pops can be heard from behind them to no effect.  
"Yes? Good, on our way." Jack says into the phone. "Head for the 102 freeway ramp. the cavalry will be arriving there soon." He says to the fox.  
"Got it." Ray acknowledges as he whips the car around the streets.

As Ray leads the panda towards the ZPD's and ZBI's forces he looks in his mirror and yells.  
"Shit! Machine gun!" A rattling sound is heard behind them along with several pings from the rear of the car as Ray tries to weave out of the line of fire. A loud pop sounds directly behind ray as a round tears into the door frame of the car by his shoulder.  
"AHHH Fuck!" Ray yells out.  
"You hit?" Jack asks.  
"I'm good," Ray says through gritted teeth.  
Ray looks as Chung drops the sub machine gun he was carrying to the roadway. He thanks his lucky stars that the panda is out of ammo. He turns a final corner and spies a sea of flashing red and blue lights ahead of them.  
"Stay to the right and blow past them" Jack tells the grimacing fox.  
Ray moves his car to the far right of the road and heads straight for the mob of law enforcement.  
"He is still following, he is not running." Jack exclaims as he looks behind him.  
As they start passing the line of cops and unmarked SUVs Chung only gets closer to Ray's bumper. A large SWAT vehicle turns it's wheels to the left as Ray passes, clipping the side of the Furrari sending into the curb. With a loud crunch the sports car's suspension buckles from the collision and the car grinds to a halt amidst a shower of sparks. Ray slows to a stop at the tail end of the line and breaths a very large sigh of relief. He looks over at the rabbit, who also looks relived, and hold up his paw. The rabbit picks his paw up and returns the fist bump. The rabbit starts to laugh at the fox, and tells him upon receiving a questioning gaze.  
"You look stupid with that tape still on your muzzle."

Ray is sitting on the back step of an ambulance, arguing with the EMT cleaning the wound in his shoulder.  
"I am fine, I am not going to the damn hospital." The fox says to the exasperated goat.  
"I can't force you, but you should see a doctor to make sure all the shrapnel is out and get this stitched up."  
"It'll be fine. I have had worse."  
"This cut is deep and ragged, you really should have it taken care of."  
A patrol car pulls up along side the ambulance and Dawn gets out of the drivers side. Ray looks up as she opens the back door and Sharon steps out. Ray stands up and limps away as the goat throws his hoofs up in defeat. Sharon runs over to the fox and grabs him in a tight hug, Ray returns the hug as tight as he can. After a few moments Sharon says to him through her tears.  
"You dumb fox, I was so scared. Don't do this to me."  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ray says.  
He holds her out at arms length and states.  
"It wasn't my fault this time." His grin showing on his muzzle.  
"I know, it… you're hurt" She says, as she notices the blood on her arms.  
She drags Ray back over to the ambulance and grabs the sterile pad out of the now amused goat's hoof. She turns ray so she can see his back and starts tending to the gash on the back of his shoulder. Ray lets her, as he knows this is how the coyote doctor best deals with tough situations, by being active in helping someone.  
"This is deep, we need to get you to the hospital so they can get an x-ray and make sure there is nothing still in here and get you stitched up." Sharon says as she tapes a bandage on the wound with the goats help.  
Ray is about to refuse again, but seeing his girlfriends face he relents.  
"Yes dear." He turns to the goat who is trying to hold back a laugh. "You shut up."  
Sharon just looks at the exchange, already used to the effect her fox has on people. She then looks closely at Ray's face.  
"What happened to your muzzle? Your fur is all messed up"  
"They taped my mouth shut." Ray says bitterly.  
Sharon grabs his head and presses her forehead against his.  
"You have no idea how many times I have wanted to do that, Do you?" Sharon says sarcastically.

Zootopia Police Department Head Quarters, Downtown, the next day.

Lieutenant Sherman, an older elephant officer, makes his rounds in the holding cells in the ZPD's basement. as he reaches the third set of cell blocks a familiar, and disturbing scent, invades his nostrils. He unlocks the gate and proceeds down aisle with grim determination. in the second cell he sees what he was expecting. He unclips his radio from his belt and keys the mic.  
"Sherman to Woolworth."  
"Go Ahead Sherman." A voice crackles over the small black box.  
"Get me a Medic and an investigation team down to Cell B Three. Prisoner strung himself up."  
"Roger, Sending them down. Do not make entry until backup arrives."  
"No need, This one is gone," He says, as he looks at the panda, hanging from the bedsheets, looped around the top bars of the holding cell.


	27. Always Right

Always Right

Volpe Automotive, almost 10 months after Ray's Story

Toast sits in the office texting his girlfriend Wendy, when a pickup towing a trailer pulls into the lot. On the trailer, sits the Lynxus, getting back from the paint shop. Instead of the bright green and primer it left as, it is now a deep gunmetal grey with, as toast notices in the sunlight, a hint of blue in the finish. Ray heads out to meet the driver who immediately starts to unload the car. Toast continues his messaging for a while longer till he looks up and notices Ray standing there with his arms crossed. He does not look happy.

"They mess up the paint?" Toast asks Ray as he walks outside, curious to find out what's wrong.  
"No." Ray Answers curtly.  
"They miss a spot or something?"  
"No."  
"Then what's wrong, it looks good to me." Toast says.  
"That's the problem. It does look good. Sharon was right, AGAIN. She is always right. And not just in the 'females are always right' kind of way. She is actually right, all the time. Do you know what it is like to live with this? I don't even bother arguing anymore, I just assume that I am wrong and go with her decision. She is way to smart for me, Toast. And when she sees the car, she is going to let me know that she was right, again."  
"Yeah, well, you are screwed on that one, buddy. Might as well get used to it." Toast says as he walks back into the shop, leaving the fox outside.


	28. Scar Tissue (Rewritten)

I did a rewrite of the end of this chapter. I really did not like the ending, felt really rushed and incomplete.. but I guess thats what happens when you try and write while not feeling well. but after a nap and a couple of shots of scotch I feel better and decided to fix it a bit.

* * *

Scar Tissue.

2000 miles south of Zootopia onboard The Canberra Maru, 12 months after Ray's Story

Sharon lounges on one of the aft decks of the large cruise ship. Her and Ray are on the second day of a week long cruise through the topical islands, and she is determined to get as much relaxing in as she can while she is away from her busy work life. She is currently wondering, however, where her fox boyfriend has gone off too. She sent him out of the cabin to go get them both drinks while she changed into her new swimsuit, and told him to meet her out on this deck. She wants to spot him first so she can see his reaction to the new bikini she bought just for the trip, a nice red halter top number she thinks Ray will really like. Finally she spots the white and black fox walking along by the pool, looking around for her. He is wearing only a black pair of swimming trunks and a pair of sunglasses over his grey eyes. She watches him as he scans the area, looking for her, and can only shake her head with a small smirk as his gaze follows a female snow leopard a little too long. He spots her a moment later and watches his expression change from the normal relaxed expression to surprise at her current wardrobe to a smile that can only be described as desire.  
"Wow, you look good in that," Ray exclaims as he reaches the chair Sharon is in.  
"What took you so long?" Sharon asks, pretending to not notice the effect her attire is having on the fox.  
Ray sits sideways on the lounge chair currency occupied by the coyote and turns to face her as he puts two cups down on the table that is next to the chair.  
"The bartender working on the forward deck makes the drinks stronger," He says, answering her question.  
"And how would you know that already? We have only been here for two days," Sharon says.  
"I got a tip from one of the crew last night at dinner," he says as he continues to look her up and down.  
Sharon shifts her hips, accentuating the curves of her body for the fox.  
"Better looking then that snow leopard you were ogling?" She asks.  
"I wasn't ogling… I though she looked familiar, that is all." He responds.  
"If that end of her looks familiar, we are gonna have a problem, mister," She tells him, knowing she has him caught.  
"Fine, I was looking. I'm a guy. We look. But that is all. And for the record I think you are the most beautiful mammal in the whole world." He says as he leans in for a kiss.  
She pushes him away with a teasing smile and states. "That better be your answer."  
Her face turns to one of curiosity as she looks at Ray's chest were her paw sits.  
"Hmm, I never noticed this scar before," She says, training the faint mark with her claw.  
"That's from a long time ago," He tells her.  
"What happened?" she asks as she runs her paws through his fur, finding more hidden marks she didn't notice until now when he is out in the sunlight and she is really looking.  
"I got jumped many years ago." He says, shrugging his shoulders.  
"What? Why?" She asks, some concern on her muzzle.  
"Nothing really, some mammals just didn't appreciate a fox walking through 'their' part of town."  
"That's horrible."  
"It happens." he says matter of factly.  
"And this one?" She says tracing another mark.  
"That was from when I those zebra beat me up because they though I stole a wallet, remember the story of me meeting Toast?"  
"You are covered in scars from these horrible memories, how can you be so placid about it?" She says, as she traces the scars he got from his encounter with Chung's gang.  
"Oh they aren't all bad, some of them I got in hilarious ways. Take this one." He points to his right side under his arm. "This is from 'the great race down hangman's hill."  
"What, you crash your car?" She asks, mildly amused now at his enthusiasm.  
"No, Bicycle. I was about 8 when me and my main rival at school, this otter, Brian, decided to settle things once and for all with a race. So we lined up at the top of this big hill in the city and at the bottom was a sharp curve with a drop into Freeman's Park. Well I was determined not to hit the brakes till after Brian did. and he was just as determined. So much that we flew all the way down the hill looking at each other instead of where we were going. Long story short, neither of us hit the brakes until it was way too late and we both went flying over the guardrail and down the embankment. We sat at the bottom of that hill just looking at each other, bleeding from cuts all over us, when we both started laughing our asses off. Let me tell you, laughing with a cracked rib hurts, which somehow I found even funnier."  
"You are unbelievable, fox." Sharon says. "So what? you became friends after that?"  
"Not even close, we continued to argue and fight till his parents moved away to the canal district few years later." Ray says, remembering the past.  
"What about this one?" she asks as she brushes the fur on his stomach.  
"Oh you don't want to know about that one." he says, grabbing her hand and moving it away.  
"Now I really want to know how you got that."  
"Not talking." Sharon looks at his face and behind his smirk is the look of mischief in his eyes he gets whenever he gets caught looking or talking about another female.  
"Alright, who is she?" she asks. His guilty and surprised expression confirms her suspicions.  
"How did you...?" He starts, utter confused.  
"I know you, you tricksy fox. Better then you think."She pokes his chest to emphasize her point. "Come on, spill it. What did you do?"  
"I didn't do anything." He tries to play it off but crumbles under Sharon's gaze. "It's more of what I didn't do."  
"Explain," She says, trying to be stern, but grinning at the squirming fox in front of her.  
"Well I was young, and stupid..."  
"As opposed to now?" Sharon interrupts.  
He sticks his tongue out at her like a mocking child, then continues.  
"I was dating this vixen, Mary Anne." He waits to see if Sharon's expression changes at the mention of another one of his ex's, but she continues to look at him with an expectant look, waiting for him to finish. "And we were together about a month, when we were at her parents place where her younger sister, Stacy, umm, started hitting on me." The accusatory look on the coyote's face causes him to pause. "I didn't encourage it, at all." He says holding his hands up. "I just didn't, not, encourage it." A single eyebrow raises on her face. "Well, Stacy jumps into my lap just as Mary walks in the room and..." he takes a deep breath. "Let's just say she was not happy about what she saw and she kinda tried to gut me with her claws."  
"Can't say I blame her." Sharon says as she crosses her arms and glares at the fox.  
"Yeah, in hind sight I totally agree. I was young and dumb and not thinking with the proper part of my anatomy."  
"Again, this is different from present day, how?" The smile slowly spreads on the coyote's muzzle again.  
"Well, I am not that young anymore." He says straight faced, causing Sharon to laugh.  
"Don't worry, if you try anything like that with me, I will do more then _try_ to gut you." Sharon says, showing her teeth in an intimidating grin.  
Ray, instead of shirking away, leans in to coyote. "I have no doubt you will." He puckers his lips, but Sharon playfully nips at his muzzle before returning the kiss.  
As they separate, Sharon picks up her drink and takes a sip.  
"Oh wow, you were not kidding about these drinks." She says as she makes a face at the strength of the cocktail.  
"Told ya, now let me in there," the fox says as he climbs behind Sharon on the chair so that she can lay up against his chest.

He grabs his drink as Sharon reclines against him and they sit, soaking in the warmth of the sun.  
"You know I would never do something like that with you," Ray says after a few moments, idly stroking the fur on her ears.  
"I know. Foxes mate for life and all." She replies without opening her eyes.  
"You know that's a myth right?"  
"What? Really?" Sharon turns her head up to look at the fox.  
"Yeah, back in prehistoric days, in the feral times, foxes would mate for one maybe two seasons, until the kits were mature enough to go out on their own. Well as time went on and kits took longer to mature, I figure it was just a matter of a couple being together, like, eighteen years and figuring they have been together this long, might as well keep going." Ray looks down at the coyote.  
"So you are saying that whole saying came about because foxes are too lazy to get back into the dating scene?" Sharon says with a skeptical look on her face."  
Ray chuckles. "Yeah, I guess so."  
"Well this fox mates for life. One way or another." She reaches back over her head and flicks his nose with her claw. Ray counter this by lightly scratching her neck, just below her jaw. Sharon's eye close and he mouth opens slightly as she presses against the fox's paw in utter bliss. He continues this for a few moments, pleased with himself at finding this and a few other spots on the coyote that results in similar reactions.  
"Don't worry, I don't plan on going anywhere." He says, as he feels her body relax and she lets out a pleased murmur.


	29. Fork in the Road

Fork in the Road

Sharon and Ray's apartment, afternoon, 16 months after Ray's Story

Rays sitting alone on the couch in the apartment, playing a game on his phone, flinging perturbed avians at shoddily built constructs. He has the TV on to the news but is only half paying attention to it, waiting for a another news story pertaining to officer Judy Hopps, and his second cousin, Officer Nick Wilde, that was promised to be 'coming up next'. The sound of a key in the lock of the front door makes his ears perk up, and a quick check of the time on the ticker on the bottom of the screen confirms that it is earlier then the time he expected Sharon to get home. He listens as the door opens and the coyote enters to determine what kind of day it was. A moment later, the sound of her bags dropping to the ground without a greeting from her confirms what he had feared. It was a really bad day at the hospital.

Ray immediately turns the TV off, pockets his phone, and gets up off the couch, his game, and the upcoming story, forgotten. Although it is not uncommon that Sharon needs some emotional support after a tough day at work, the fact that she came home early, a very rare occurrence, means that today was especially taxing on the coyote doctor. The fox wordlessly limps over to Sharon and embraces her. She lays her head on the fox's shoulder and for a moment, just breaths in ragged breaths, then begins sobbing. After a few moments, Sharon breaks the silence.  
"I… I could't save him," She says between sobs.  
"You did everything you could, I'm sure. You're the best doctor in the whole city, and you have saved so many others." Ray responds in a quiet voice.  
"He was just a cub, not even eighteen yet. there was just too much damage. Not enough time…" She trails off into some more sobbing.  
"Shhh. It's ok. Just breathe baby. I've got you." He strokes her back as he holds the upset coyote, letting her lean on him.  
"It was a car accident. They said he was racing and slid into a tree… Ray?" she practically whispers.  
The fox has a sinking feeling about what Sharon is going to say next, this being an ever more common argument with the coyote.  
"I don't want this to happen to you. Promise me you will stop going out at night. Please?" Sharon asks.  
It would be so easy to lie. So easy to just say yes or mumble something incoherent, but Ray can not bear to be untruthful with his mate. And yet he can not bear to tell her no, either, so he just remains silent.  
"Ray? Come on. Promise me." She lifts her head up off his shoulders and waits for an answer, one that does not come. She stands upright and holds the fox out at arms length, paws still on his sides. Ray bows his head, barely able to meet her pleading gaze.  
"Ray, I am serious. I do not want you going out anymore. I want you to stop racing." She tells him in a almost demanding tone.  
"You know I can't promise that, Sharon. You know what it means to me." He replies quietly as he takes her paws off his sides and holds them in his own.  
"I don't want you getting hurt, or worse…" She is practically begging him.  
"I will be fine, I am very careful." He says in his most reassuring tone.  
"You can't control everything, Ray. It's too dangerous." Sharon tells him sternly. Her hands dropping to her sides as she backs up a step.  
"I take every precaution, my cars are the safest out there, I will be fine." Ray says, confidently.  
"You don't know that. Anything can happen out there." Her voice is getting louder.  
"Anything can happen anywhere. I can get hit by a bus going to work, I can trip down some stairs, hell, I can fall in the bathtub here at home." He says, his voice, rising to match.  
"You know what I mean, Ray! It's too risky! I do not want you out there getting hurt!" Sharon yells.  
"I know the risks! Everyone out there knows the risks! It's part of the sport! It sucks, but we all accept that it can happen to us at any time!" He yells back.  
"Well I can't accept it! I do not want you to end up on my table, dead, like that cub today! I will not have my mate dying like that! I forbid it!" Sharon yells, as tears fall from her cheeks.  
"It's not your choice to make!"  
"It damn well is! if you won't stop, then you can just get out of my apartment!" The coyote points to the door for emphasis.  
This hurts Ray. Ever since that night on his birthday it has been 'their apartment'. For Sharon to call it only her's, both saddens and angers the fox.  
"Sharon…" He begins quietly.  
"No! If you choose to kill yourself on some dark street somewhere, I do not want to know about it!" she screams.  
"I'm not going to stop just because you're scared! It's my life I am putting on the line, not yours!"  
"Don't give me that! Get the fuck out of here! If you have to keep racing, you can do it alone!" She continues to point at the door.

Ray looks at Sharon for a moment then storms out of the apartment, leaving the door open behind him. He walks quickly down the hallway to the elevator and mashes the down button. Impatiently, he turns to start heading down the stairs, but realizes he left his cane in the apartment and his pride will not let him return for it, so he turns back to face the elevator doors, fuming, as he waits for them to open. He hears the door to Sharon's apartment slam shut down the hall and his shoulders slump. A curse is mutter under his breath.

Mountainside Park, one hour later.

Ray limps up to the tree, he has dubbed 'Marty', and punches the trunk, angrily. His eyes are closed and he just focuses on the pain in his paw, using it as a sort of anchor, as he tries to slow his breathing. He lets the scents and sounds of the forest wash over him as he calms himself, head down, fist still pressed against the pine. He opens his eyes about a minute later and looks to where his fist landed. The moss has fallen away from the trunk due to the blow, around were he scratched his epitaph over three years ago, revealing one of the words partially. Ray stares at the letters 'dumb' on the trunk and sighs, shaking his head.  
"You got that right, Marty. I sure am dumb for fucking up this one."  
He spins around and pushes his back to the tree, sliding down to sit on the ground at the roots. Ray sits and tries to make sense of the flurry of emotions and thoughts flowing through his head, sadness, anger, hope, fear, all viewing for attention in his mind. Anger wins out momentarily as he exclaims.  
"Who the hell does she think she is? It's not like I am just going to change who I am for some fem."  
His thoughts continue to swirl around in his head as one big jumble. In an effort to shake some sense into himself he bangs his head back against the tree a few times. The pain reminds him of that night he went flying over the edge and ended up pinned to this very tree in his car. That reminds him of the car he came here in, the grey Lynxus, bought from Karma, who won it from Jarod, who had the thing decked out with some serious mods. Currently though the car is quite tame, especially considering who owns it. No rock hard racing suspension. No high flow, and loud, exhaust. No complete roll cage to stiffen the chassis, and make it difficult to climb in and out of, all so that the car can be more comfortable for Sharon to ride in. Ray comes to the, quite obvious in hindsight, realization, that he is not going to change for this female, he already has.  
"Fuck." he says in defeat. "I am not going to go crawling back with my tail between my legs," he says with a little more conviction. "I am not giving up on my dreams."  
At the though of dreams, Ray becomes curious. He pulls out his phone and fires up a banking app. entering his password he selects the option to view his account balances and selects his savings account.  
"Almost there, maybe." he says to himself, as he stares at the screen.

A plan starts to form in his head, it will take some luck, but if certain people accept his offers, he just might be able to pull it off. Or it could come crashing down and potentially ruin all he has worked for. Closing his eyes, he tries to mentally weight the pros and cons of this endeavor. Every time though, it all comes down to one unknown factor, will Sharon go along with it?  
"Come on Ray, It is only your entire future that you can screw up, what's to worry about?" he says out loud to himself.  
He goes back into his phone and pulls up Sharon's contact and his claw hovers over the 'call' button. He takes a deep breath and pauses, holding it in. He suddenly presses 'call' and lets out the breath as the phone starts ringing. He switches it to speakerphone.  
"Raymond." Sharon's voice comes over the line, obviously still mad.  
"Um… I need a few days to take care of some things. Then I would like to talk," He says as he closes his eyes and rests his head back against the tree.  
He is answered by silence from the other end.  
"Sharon, I love you, but…" He hesitates, thinking of what to say. "I made a promise to myself many years ago, and I need to at least try and complete it. Just give me a few days, and then you can decide if you still want to skin me and turn me into a rug for the living room. I'll give you a call."  
"I… Ok. call me." Ray can hear almost a laugh in her voice. He smiles at this.  
"I will." He hangs up and selects another contact from his list and presses 'call'.  
"Ray! What the hell do you want at this god forsaken hour, you know I am on night shift, don't you?" The voice of Pete, Ray's wolf friend, says over the phones speaker after a few rings.  
"Pete, this is opportunity calling, and time is of the essence, no time for sleeping if you want in on this deal." Ray says in a cheery, sales pitch, voice.  
"What the hell are you yammering about? I'm half asleep here, I don't have the patience for riddles, fox." Pete says, rather annoyed.  
"I'm selling the car." Ray goes on, matter of factly.  
"You woke me up for that, you could sell that to anyone, and I already have a car."  
"No, not the Lynxus, the CAR" Ray says almost laughing.  
There is a long pause from the other end, and Ray can imagine the sound of gears turning as Pete works out what he means .  
"The Catty?" Pete asks.  
"Yes the Catty. I said you get first crack at it when I decide to sell, so now is the time." Ray says.  
"Why now, and why wake me up for this, couldn't you call me tonight?"  
"I need the money, and soon, like tomorrow or the next day would be good." Ray says, seriously.  
"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Pete asks, worry in his voice.  
"No,… Well… yeah, kinda, but not really." Ray stumbles over the words.  
"It's that girl of yours, isn't it? You knock her up or something?" Pete says, the worry gone, replaces by amusement.  
"That's not it. She told me I have to stop racing, and when I refused, she kicked me out."  
"Ouch."  
"Yeah, I feel like I am sitting at a fork in the road here, Pete. One way, I have her, but I am miserable and bored. the other direction, I get to pursue my dreams, but utterly alone… and miserable." Ray says, disheartened.  
"So what are you going to do?" Pete asks the fox.  
"I think I am going to plow right through, straight ahead, making my own path." Ray says in a thoughtful voice.  
"Sounds like a good way to crash and burn." Pete says over the line.  
Ray chuckles. "Yeah, it's kind of an all or nothing deal. But I think I just might be able to pull it off… if I had the money."  
"Ok, Ok, let me check my account." Pete says. "What are you asking?"  
"You know what it is worth, make an offer." Ray says, all business now.  
"I can do seventy five right now." Pete says in the same serious tone.  
"I can get that at any dealership down the road, come on bud, this is a once in a lifetime chance." Ray says, knowing that the first offer was going to be a lowball.  
"Alright, don't take it so personal." Pete replies. The sound of a keyboard clicking can be heard over the phone. "Ok, I can… and this is everything I have… one hundred K, and I can get that to you in two days."  
"Come by the shop with the money and it will be waiting for you, I will even fill up the tank." Ray says a smile forming on his lips as his plan seems to actually be possible.  
"How generous," Pete says sarcastically. "You know the wife is going to kill me when she finds out I cleaned out the savings."  
"Just take her for a ride and I am sure she will forgive you. Oh, and there is one condition for the sale." Ray adds.  
"Now wait a minute…" Pete begins  
"It's nothing bad," Ray says quickly. "You just have to promise to bring the car to opening day."  
"Opening for what?" the wolf asks.  
"You will see."  
"What are you up to, fox."  
"Better things," Ray says. "Just wait and see."  
Ray hangs up the phone and access the internet on his phone. after doing a search he finds the number he was looking for and dials. The line rings twice when a female voice answers.  
"Tiger Town Reality, This is Vicky speaking."  
"Hi Vicky, My name is Ray Volpe."  
"Hello Ray, is there something I can help you with today?" the female asks.  
"I sure hope so," answers Ray.

* * *

What is that fox up to? next chapter might take a while, as I am leaving for vacation today. I am close to wrapping up what I have planned in my head, only like 3 more chapters or so. Then, I don't know.


	30. Better Things

Better Things

Sahara Square, East of the Oasis Hotel, 4 days later

Ray is driving very fast down a empty stretch of road in the far eastern section of Sahara Square. He should have met Sharon 5 minutes ago, and is very worried about blowing his chance to patch things up. He presses a button on the steering wheel of the Lynxus and waits for a tone.  
"Call Sharon," he says to the voice command system.  
" _Calling, Sharon_ ," an automated feminine voice answers back.  
After a single ring, Sharon's voice answers over the speakers in the car.  
"Ray? I don't think you gave me the right address, there is nothing here but sand."  
"That's the right place. I'm sorry, I am running late, I got hung up at City Hall dealing with the Zoning Commission. I will be there shortly."  
"Zoning? Just what the hell are you up to." She wonders out loud.  
"All will be revealed soon, my dear. Just sit tight and I will explain it all." Ray tells the coyote.  
"The things I put up with." Sharon mutters. "This better be good, you dumb vulpine, or I WILL turn you into that rug after all."  
"It's good. It's real good, trust me. No need to skin me just yet," he says with a chuckle. "I will be there in about ten. bye."  
"Ok, see you soon.. you… just… bye."

About ten minutes later

Ray pulls down the dusty, almost abandoned road, and sees Sharon standing by the roadside, next to a taxi. He pulls behind the cab and gets out, grabbing a thin metal sign and walks to the drivers door of the cab. After a brief exchange, where ray hands over some money to pay for the fare, plus a generous tip, the cabbie, an antelope, shouts out to Sharon.  
"You gonna be alright here, alone with this fox?"  
"Yeah, I can handle him no problem." She yells to the driver.  
"Alright lady, you have a good day." He says as he rolls the window up and puts the car into gear.  
As the cab turns around and drives away, Ray limps over to a extremely sun bleached sign, posted on the side of the road, the logo of Tiger Town Realtors is barely visible on the faded surface. Sharon notices that his limp is very pronounced today.  
"Where is your cane?" she asks.  
"I forgot it at… the apartment," he replies as he bends over by the sign, fixing the smaller sign to the bottom.  
"What about your other one, the green one?"  
"I broke it. About a week ago, at work, crushed it with the lift, but that is not important right now." He stands up and makes a sweeping gesture to the land behind the sign. "What do you think?"  
Sharon can now see the small sign, that Ray hung up, reads, SOLD. She gives the fox a confused look and asks, as she walks towards him.  
"You bought this? It's nothing but useless, empty land."  
"This, and several lots surrounding it." He turns and points at the surrounding area. "And it being useless makes it perfect for what I am going to do. It is too far from the heaters so the desert dwellers think it is too cold and there is no port near it on the bay so it isn't good for industrial either. No neighbors to complain about the noise and the land is relatively cheap." He says with as much enthusiasm as a child with a new toy. Ray looks back at the coyote's confused expression and he gets serious.  
"Look, Sharon. When I was a kit, Pop pop used to take me all the way out to Deerbrooke County to the only racetrack in the area, a half mile, dirt oval, called the Deerbrooke Ring. Almost every Friday evening we would drive the three hundred odd miles and spend the weekend racing, then drive back Sunday night. I would spend my entire week, waiting for Friday, when I knew we would be hitting the road again. My happiest memories came from that track, and the mammals that were there." he grows quiet as he reminisces about the past. "At the track, I wasn't some damn fox, I wasn't another predator. I was just Ray. Grandson of Alex Volpe, a racer. Deer, foxes, sheep, wolves, we were all equal, we were all there for the cars and the race. We were one big family. When the place got bought out by some developer, it broke my grandpa's heart. He would not admit it of course, but I could tell, he left a part of him at that dirt ring. I promised myself that someday, I would open my own track, so that everyone could come and race and be a great big family again." He turns to look out over the open land. "So I finally got the money together and bought this place. It is going to clean out my savings, and I finally had to sell the Cat-illac to Pete, but I did it." He turns around and spreads his arms out like a circus ringleader. "I give you, the future home of Zootopia Motorsports Park!"  
As Ray puts his hands behind his head and leans back against the sign, Sharon looks rather surprised.  
"You bought all this to make a racetrack?" She asks after a moment.  
"Not just one track," Ray says, practically jumping up and turning around to look over the land. "Over there," he points to the right side. "perfectly flat and level for over three quarters of a mile, perfect for the drag strip with plenty of room for the over run. And back there," He points to some hills in the distance. "That is were the road course is going to go. And right there, "He points to a slight depression on the left side. "Right were everyone will see it as they pull in. A perfect half mile dirt oval. The Alexander Volpe Memorial Speedway." His voice chokes up at the end. "This is what I have been working for, all these years. Every job, every race, the shop. It was all so I can open up my own place."

He crosses his arms and leans against the faded sign, bowing his head he continues softly.  
"I can't promise that nobody will get hurt. It's racing. It's dangerous. But what I can do is make someplace that we can go that is as safe as possible. No more racing on the streets, no more midnight meetings in some parking lot. I am done with that. Here, I have more control, there will be medics on standby. I already talked to the ZFD about getting crews here for events. From now on, everything is above board and legal. This is the best I can do. But if that is not good enough." Ray turns his head up to the sky and closes his eyes tight, clenching his jaw, as he struggles with the next words.  
"And I can't believe I am saying this… I will give it all up. I will sell the land, sell the car, and be done with everything, if that is what it takes to stay with you."

His head again bows down as he falls silent. Ears flat against his head.  
He jumps a bit as he feels the coyotes arms wrap around him from behind, but immediately relaxes into Sharon's embrace.  
"My stubborn, silly fox. What am I going to do with you?" She mutters as she rests her head on his shoulder.  
They stand in silence for a few moments, enjoying each others company, until Sharon seems to come to a decision.  
"Ok," she says, sighing. "You can keep your stupid racetrack."

Ray presses his head against hers, trying to be as close as possible to his love. He then says to her.  
"I just have one more question."  
"What's that?" she asks.  
Ray pulls out of her arms and turns around. As he drops to one knee he opens a small black box that he had removed from his pocket. The bright blue sapphire sparkles in the sunlight.  
"Yes," Sharon says, with a wide grin. Ray's expression turns to surprise, then disbelief.  
"I didn't even ask yet." He says to her.  
"I already said 'yes' " She tells him.  
"But… That's not how it works. I had a whole big speech and everything." He says as his arms drop to his side.  
She steps forward and puts both paws on his cheeks.  
"You have talked enough today, fox. You have my answer."  
"I'm asking the damn question, you pain in the ass. That is just how it is done." He says to her, pushing her back to arms length.  
"Fine, ask then." She says sarcastically.  
"I will." He brings the ring box back up to both paws and begins. "Sharon Madeline Wiley," He looks up at the coyote, who has her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face, and almost cracks up. "Will you *snerk*… Will you marry me?" He finally spits it out and then busts out into a laugh.  
Sharon just stands there, tapping her foot, looking at the fox for a few seconds, making him wait.  
"Oh come on!" Ray exclaims after a long pause.  
Sharon relents, "Yes, fine, I will marry you." She tries to say with a straight face, but ends up laughing at the end. Ray slips the ring over her finger and then says.  
"Ok.. now help me up. I have been hobbling around for four days without a cane and my leg really hurts."  
She pulls him up and wraps her arms around his neck, as they kiss.  
"Stupid fox." She mumbles.  
"YOUR stupid fox," he corrects.


	31. Down and Dirty

Down and Dirty

Future Site of Zootopia Motorsports Park, Sahara Square, 19 months after Rays Story.

Ray stands looking over a large topographical map laid out on table in the middle of what will be a parking lot. He is wearing an ill fitting orange safety vest and a hard hat that look 2 sizes too big. standing next to him is a beaver with a well fit, but worn and faded vest and a hard hat that looks like it has been "used" a few times, but fits the mammal perfectly.  
"I don't like how this corner sits here." Ray says, pointing to a spot on the map. "It will create a bottle neck and slow the pace through the next section."  
"What about if we crested the hill here and looped around to the west." The beaver suggests.  
"That might work." Ray says as the beaver draws a line n pencil on the sheet. "Then we can move the chicane about a hundred yards later."  
"do you want to cut down on this overrun here?" The beaver uses the pencil to tap a section of the map.  
"No, I think that should be fine as it is." Ray responds. Just then, his phone rings "Hang on, it's the fiancé" He presses the accept call icon.

"Hello dear. Whats up?" He says into the phone.

"I don't know, which one do you like?"

"Well I can't see them from here, you make the decision."

"Ok, if I have to choose, the green ones." He turns to the beaver and whispers as he covers the phone with his paw "Don't ever get married." The beaver just holds his paw up, showing a gold wedding band, and nods his head in a knowing fashion.

"Fine. Blue it is then. I trust your judgement. Oh and I confirmed, the Teumessian Church in the Canals will do a mixed species wedding, so it looks like you are gonna learn some fox traditions."

"Yes, I know you wanted it in the Desert Church, but they seems none too happy to perform one for us 'perverts' I think the priest called us."

"Well if they ever get with the times, we can do another ceremony there."

"Yes I would marry you again. It means more cake for me, and definitely another honeymoon."

Ray look towards the driveway at a car pulling in. "Honey, I have to go, something has come up. love ya, bye."  
After Sharon's goodbye he hangs up the phone and starts to walk towards the new arrival, remembering the task he was at beforehand he quickly turns to the beaver and tells him  
"Just send me the rough draft when you get it laid out and I will go over it later." He turns back to the car pulling up with a look of curiosity and a small bit of worry. A middle aged cheetah steps out of the car and smiles at Ray, showing his large, and sharp, teeth, like he has found his next meal.

"Raymond! good to see you buddy!" The cheetah says with his arms outstretched.  
"Larry!" Ray responds, nervously. "What brings you out here?"  
"Heard this rumor that someone was building a strip out here in the desert. had to see for myself."  
"Yeah, funny thing, rumors." Ray says with a fake chuckle.  
Larry the Cheetah's voice drops. "Why didn't you tell me Ray." Larry looks at the fox with his head cocked to the side.  
"I.." Ray begins as he rubs the back of his head. "I was kinda trying to keep it on the down low. I really don't want everybody coming here telling me how I should build my tracks, and between work, and all the planning for this, and my upcoming wedding, I… I kinda forgot."  
"Your getting married?" The cheetah asks? "Wait, you're dating that hot coyote girl, aren't you?"  
"Yeah, Sharon." Ray says, confused at the sudden change in attitude.  
"She must have you whipped good. You are one guy I thought would never settle down." Larry says laughing.  
"It's not like that," Ray starts off, defensively, then relents. "Yeah, it really is like that." He shrugs his shoulders and throws out his arms "What can I say."  
"You be careful, I heard those coyote girls can get vicious when they are angry," Larry says.  
"Oh, that's true, every bit of it." Ray says with a knowing smile.  
Larry shakes his head at the fox's comment. "Well you take care. and about the whole track thing? Don't worry about it, I just came down to yank your tail a bit. It can only be good for business having a legit racing establishment in town."  
Ray doesn't quite hear the last part, as he is captivated by a line of dump trucks that has just pulled into the lot and is waiting for the beaver fore-mammal to give them directions. His muzzle slowly forms into a huge grin, like a child getting his birthday present.

"It's here!" he yells as he walks briskly over to the lead truck. Larry follows out of curiosity.  
"Where do you want this stuff?" the elephant driving the lead truck shouts out of the cab.  
"Hold on!" Ray shouts to the elephant and the beaver as he makes his way to the back of the large green truck. He jumps up and climbs the built in ladder to the rim of the body and lifts the tarp. He puts his nose practically into the dirt filling the truck and inhales deeply.  
"Sweet gods, how I have missed that smell." He runs his paws through the dirt, letting it flow through his claws. Then he grabs a paw-ful, packing it into a ball and descends the ladder.  
"Dirt?" The Cheetah asks.  
"Not just any dirt!" The excited fox says. "Deerbrooke dirt, the best dirt in the world." as he kneads the dirt in his paw like a stress ball.  
"You are strange, fox. You shipped dirt all the way from Deerbrooke County?" Larry questions as the trucks pull off under the direction of the beaver.  
"This dirt is the best for racing on, it packs down just enough to hold up, but lets you still dig in for grip. This is what made The Deerbrooke Ring the fastest dirt oval in the country."  
"Dirt is for farming, kid. Stick with the asphalt if you want to get people in here." Larry says to the fox.  
"Well they also grow some fine corn out there, but just wait till you see your first open wheel main, you'll get hooked. Trust me." The fox says with a knowing grin. Just then his phone rings with Sharon's tone again. "Yes Dear?" Ray says into the phone. Larry makes a whipping motion with is paws and heads back to his car. Ray just Shrugs and smiles.


	32. Opening Day (Part 1)

this one is taking way too long. I will be breaking it up into at least 2 parts so you guys don't have to wait too long

* * *

Opening Day

Zootopia Motorsports Park, 23 month after Ray's Story, Saturday, late morning.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" Ray says to Toast and Sharon as he stares at the crowd walking into the pit area of the track. The pits have been roped off and converted to a makeshift festival area, including a beer tent and several vendors. the crowd funneling in is quickly filling the main area.  
"Yeah, I would say you numbers were a bit on the light side there, genius." Toast says to the fox.  
"It's a good problem to have." Comments Sharon.  
"Yeah, until the beer truck runs dry, then what?" Ray says, exasperated. His ears drooping back.  
"Fights? Riots? End of civilization as we know it?" Toast chimes in.  
Ray walks behind the tents till he spots the mammal in charge of the catering he hired, a camel named Frank.  
"Frank, buddy, we have problems." Ray say.  
"You think? You said you expected about a hundred and fifty at this event, looks like more then that already."  
"Yeah. Sign in said 300 already and the line of cars is out to the crossroads. Please tell me you can fix this?" Ray pleads.  
"Already have another beer truck on the way and more grub, but my guys are going to be stuck in the traffic your little party is causing."  
"Tell them to come in the back way, off sandhill lane. I will have someone open the gate and they can come in along the road course." Ray tells the caterer.  
"Good thing, don't want this bunch to riot if they run out of beer." The camel says jokingly.  
"Be a hell of an opening day." Ray says under his breath.  
A voice comes over a walkie talkie on Ray's hip.  
"Parking to Ray, we have a mammal here that wants access to the dirt track?"  
Ray grabs the walkie talkie and keys the button.  
"Did you tell them that it is not open yet? That's next weekend."  
"Yeah," the voice says, then continues a bit unsure. "But he said to tell you, that stinky wants to play on scruffy's new toy."  
Ray's face lights up, and his ears stand at attention. he responds hopefully. "Deer with a white patch over his left eye?"  
"Yeah, that's him," The voice confirms. "what do you want to tell him."  
"Yes, let him in, have Cory or someone, escort him to the infield, I will be right there." Ray says joyfully. Sharon looks at ray, amused and asks  
"Scruffy?"  
"Stinky?" Toast also asks.  
"Brian, from The Deerbrooke Ring, I haven't seen him in like, ten years!" Ray says, practically jumping up and down. "We all had nicknames for each other back then, none of them very flattering."  
"Can't imagine," Toast says, sarcastically.

They make their way across the grounds to the freshly groomed dirt track, a bulldozer still sits in the center of the ring, behind a white and red barrier. a set of wooden grandstands sit half finished on the front stretch. Pulled next to the dozer, is a large black pickup truck, towing a even larger, red, box trailer. A family, or several families, judging by the herd forming, of deer are getting out of the truck. The driver , a deer wearing a set of blue overalls and a red baseball cap, spots ray and heads towards him.  
"I knew it!" The deer says with a thick country accent. "When I heard someone was trucking dirt all the way out to Zootopia City to make a racetrack, I knew a certain fox would have something to do with it."  
"I told you I would get my own track, took a few more years then I expected, but I got it done." he shakes the deers hoof and then turns to the two mammals accompanying him. "Brian, this is my fiancé, Sharon, and my friend and partner, toast ..uh, I mean Gary."  
Toast looks at ray amused, then offers the deer his paw. "You can call me toast, I think Ray here just doesn't want to dig up his old nickname, scruffy was it?"  
Ray is about to comment on that when the voice of an older deer interrupts. "Well I'll be. Little Raymond. You are the spittin' image of your grandfather, rest his soul."  
"Mr Hoofward! So good to see you again." Ray walks over to the middle-aged deer and shakes his hoof enthusiastically. "Guys, this Bobby Hoofward, the second fastest mammal to ever race the Deerbrooke Ring,"He says teasingly. Mr, Hoofward smiles at this "Second only to my Pop pop, they were best friends." He motions to the track then encircles them all, "So what do you think?"  
Bobby takes a long look around the track, then finally says, "I'd say it's a fine twin to the old ring, not as many corn fields surrounding it, but pretty damn close." He says, nodding his head. "You gonna have to let me take a few laps around this tonight, I know openin' day aint till next week, but we got a big family reunion that day and my wife won't let me skip out on that, I already asked."  
Ray laughs at this, and after a moments consideration answers, "Well, I might need to have someone experienced take a few trial laps around this place, you know, to see if it compares to the old track."  
"Ha ha!, It would be an honor, and you might want to join me once you see what we brought. Hey Brian, go make sure the kids unload those cars without bangin' up my trailer again." He points to a group of older teenagers that are opening the trailer behind the pickup. After Ray introduces the others they talk about the old times and Ray catches up on the other kids he knew from the old track. Toast and Sharon are especially amused by the various nicknames all the kids had, and they find out that Ray was the one that gave them most of those names. Suddenly something catches the fox's eye at the back of the trailer. The teens and Brian are unloading a old open wheel racer, white with a black stripe offset the left of the hood and roof, the number 52 is emblazoned on the door in red letters. Ray stops talking midway in a sentence and stares at the car, mouth slowly forming into a grin, he slowly starts walking towards it slowly, tail wagging behind him in excitement. Sharon catches up alongside of Ray and looks at him then to the car.  
"It's… It's Pop pop's car." He shakes himself out of the trace and then says. "I mean, he had a few but this was his best one, the one he brought out the most. His favorite. He told me he sold it, but I never knew to who."  
Ray makes it to the car and puts his paw out to touch it, like he is trying to see if it is real or not, he notices the spot above the drivers window no longer bears his fathers name, and he can see it has been painted over several times.  
"Yeah, I bough it off of Alex for my boys to learn in, built for a fox, so too small for me, but it fit my teenage sons, my daughter, and even a few grandsons. Now, I had a smaller motor in it for the kids to learn on, because that beast your grandfather had in there made the darn thing too tail happy for a beginner, not even sure how he kept it pointed the right way, but I put it back in for tonight because I though that you might like to take a few laps in it, the way your grandpa had it."  
Ray looks at the elder deer in shock. "Serious?"  
"Of course I am serious. Alex told me he was sad that you never got to ride in this before the old track closed. Least I could do for the old man is let you have a go at your own place." Bobby tell him.  
"I would love too, but it has to be later, I have to do the opening ceremonies like," He looks at his phone at the time. "Shit, five minutes ago. I gotta go." He says hurriedly.  
Ray gets ready to head back to the main lot when Bobby asks.  
"Hey, is there a spot of land close we can set up camp for the night? Would hate to have to drive all the way back tonight."  
Ray smiles at the deer. "For you? You can set up right here in the infield if you like. Stay as long as you like. You're family." He turns and hurries to where the crowd has gathered around a makeshift stage setup on a truck trailer.


	33. Opening Day (Part 2)

Ray climbs the steps up onto the stage, joined by Sharon and Toast, and looks at the crowd. Too many mammals to count, but ray is happy to see that most of them are smiling and laughing, talking amongst their peers, or wandering around. Several faces look up to him expectantly, waiting for things to get going. Ray grabs his walkie talkie and keys the mic.  
"Ray calling sign in, whats the count at."  
"We got a count of … 523 heads, 60 drivers between the strip and the road course. The line is gone so it looks like everyone that is coming is here, expect for a few stragglers here and there." A female voice comes over the speaker.  
"Thank you so much guys," Ray say into the device, "I will take care of you, all of you have been working your tails off, I owe you."  
"Damn right you do." A unknown male voice keys in teasingly.  
"Hahaha" another voice can be heard.  
"Ok guys, I know, I totally did not expect this many mammals showing up, but we can handle it. Go get the stars ready, Lets get this place opened up." Ray tells his staff over the air. He turns the volume of his box down as various calls go out over the line as prearranged preparations start to be put into play.

Ray walks up a microphone stand in the center of the stage and picks up one of two microphones attached to the pole, one on the top and the other half way down for smaller mammals like Ray. He flips a switch on the body of the mic and he hears a small pop from the speakers as the system comes on line. Holding the mic up to his muzzle he takes a deep breath, trying to overcome the stage fright that has just hit him, standing in front of this many mammals.

"Hello everyone, is everybody having a good time?" Ray's voice echoes out over the loudspeakers. A chorus of cheers is heard in the crowd and the general din of a hundred conversations slowly dies down.  
"Alright, before we get rolling, I have a few announcements that have to be made." Ray pulls out a small notepad from his front pocket with a list on it.

"Ok, first I would like to thank Eye of the Needle Catering, keeping all of you in plenty of chow and beer…" A round of cheers and applause interrupt Ray at the mention of the frothy beverage. "Yeah, I totally did not think I would get as many of you as I did, but these guys pulled through with extra food and more kegs at a moments notice. They really performed a miracle today. Definitely give them a call for your next function. Also, Paddle Tail construction, They did an amazing job with putting this place together, I walked the strip earlier and let me tell you, it is a smooth as glass. These guys know what they are doing. And I am not just saying that because they gave me a killer deal on the work in exchange for advertising." A chorus of laughter can be heard. "Yeah, I pretty much have to hang their banners up for, oh, all of eternity." More laughter. "Seriously, I will me using them in the future, they did great work. Ok mandatory Drivers meeting by the drag strip start line for ALL drivers at three P.M. Again, mandatory, you miss that you don't run." He pauses to let that sink in a bit. "Next week of course is the grand opening of the Alexander Volpe Memorial speedway. If you have never seen dirt track oval racing, come check that out, it is something to behold. The weekend after that is the first run what you brung, grudge night. Open to street legal cars only. Don't think because they are street legal that they are slow, I know some of these guys showing up can really throw down. The whole week after that… We are closed." Ray sees some confused faces in the crowd. "Thats right, I will be away, on my honeymoon." Applause and whistles from the crowd "Thank you, come here Sharon." Ray waves over the coyote, who reluctantly comes to the center stage. "Can you believe this lovely lady agreed to marry ME?" More cheering and shouts as Sharon shies away from the attention. "And all of you owe her for letting me have my… What did you call it, honey? My stupid racetrack?" Laughter from the crowd as Sharon eyes Ray. He knows he will pay for that comment later, but he could not resist. He sees one of his helpers give him a thumbs up from the side of the stage, the signal that his guests are ready. "After all that we will get things to a normal schedule. check out the webpage, Volperacing for the schedule. OK now that that is out of the way, lets get this show going for real." A cheer from the crowd. "I have arranged for some very special guest to show up tonight and help me open this place the right way. First we have a mammal that is like family to me, That's because he is like my forth cousin or something." He gets a few laughs from this. "He cut his teeth in the open wheel circuits, rising to the top and finally racing in the ICS* for two seasons taking a top spot at The Brickyard on his second start. He moved over to MASCAR*, taking rookie of the year last year, and this year is in contention for the title," Ray waves his paw over to the side of the stage were a red fox, dressed in a red polo shirt sporting the logo of a popular brewery and matching baseball cap, hops onto the stage and proceeds to the center. "Dom Wilde everybody!" Ray yells. The crowd roars as he grabs a microphone and addresses the crowd.

"Hello Zootopia!" Dom shouts into the mic to more cheers and yells. He continues when the din dies down a bit. "Good to see so many smiling muzzles out there to help celebrate the opening of what I can see will be an iconic track here in this beautiful city. We got a heck of a show for you today. Now, I asked my bosses if I could bring my Weiser Beer, Chevrolion MASCAR out today and they said… no." Groans and a few boo's from the crowd. "So I brought my own ride and a few friends and we are gonna do a drift show out here on the road course." Cheers again from the crowd. "How would you like that?" The crowd gets louder. "I tell you, I look forward to laying down some rubber out on that track, Ray here let me take a spin around on it in my rental car and it is a world class racetrack. I would not be surprised if the MASCAR officials consider this for a future stop on the Zextel cup in a few years. I know I will be pushing for it." The crowd continues to applaud the fox as he makes his way off the stage and Ray steps to the center again.

"Thank you Dom!" He says to the departing fox as the applause dies down a bit. "You can tell your MASCAR buddies that they are always welcome here at Z.M.S.P." He turns back to the waiting crowd. "Now deciding who should take the first pass down the dragstrip has been giving my more then a few headaches. I, of course, thought of being greedy and taking the first run myself, but I am much more generous then that." A shout rings out from a group of the street race pack, standing off the side "Since when have you been generous, Volpe!" The crowd laughs at this and Ray brings his paw to his chest, mimicking being offended. "You wound me, sir!" He retorts. "Anyway, I also though of holding a raffle, or something, and was actually working on that when I got a call I did NOT expect from our next guest. I knew right then that I should let the professionals handle the first run down the quarter mile, so it is my pleasure to introduce to you, a guy who has more AHRA* titles then I can count. Racing the Squeak Antifreeze funny car. Mr John Fierce!" A large grizzly bear climbs effortlessly onto the stage, mostly skipping the steps built on the side and walks to the Microphone stand, grabbing the top mic in his massive paw. with the other he offers to Ray to shake, the fox's paw disappears in the large mammals grip. He begins speaking quickly in a deep baritone voice.

"Thank you thank you. It is great to be here in Zootopia at this brand new track. It really is an honor to be the first mammal to go down this quarter mile. Me and the boys are gonna give you one heck of a show. We got the Squeak Antifreeze Chevrolion tuned up and ready to open this place up properly, what do you say to that?." The crowd cheers yells enthusiastically. John jumps down from the stage into the throng of mammals and starts shaking hands and high five-ing everyone he can get to. Ray once again takes center stage.

"That's what it's all about right there." He pauses as he watches the bear interacting with a small lamb, making the child laugh as he makes funny faces. "When I was a kit, my grandpa used to take me out to The Deerbrooke Ring. He called me his little crew chief. All us kits and cubs and pups, used to play together in the campground while our parents raced. I learned family, is not who you are related too. When I got older, and started watching the racing, I noticed something. Win or lose, Pop pop would always try to be the first one to shake his opponents paw, to offer congratulations or words of encouragement.. Sportsmanship in it's purest form." The crowd is quieting down, listening to the fox reminisce. "I got older, and started working on the cars with him. Learning the meaning of work ethic, and attention to detail. And I got to watch as my grandfather became fierce rivals on the track with Mr Hoofward over there," He motions to the deer family towards the back of the crowd. "and best of friends off the track. All of this. "He waves his paws to encompass the whole area. "It cost me, my blood, my sweat, my tears, my money, oh so much money." a few chuckles "but… if one set of rivals can become friends. If one young crew chief learns the value of hard work. If one child learns the value of true sportsmanship. If one kit, can find a family. It will all be worth it." He falls silent for a few moments then the crowd starts to applaud. He appears to choke back a tear or two and then addresses the crown again.

"Thank you, I mean it. Ok Let's get this show on the road. We have about," He looks at his phone's clock. "twenty minutes before Fierce hits the strip. Then after that Dom Wilde will make some smoke on the road course. Let's get this party started!" The crowd yells in approval as Ray heads over to Sharon and Toast. After a few minutes they start to migrate over to the stands along side the drag strip.


	34. Opening Day (Part 3)

Opening Day (Part 3)

A low, long, light blue car idles up towards the starting line in the left lane of the drag strip. Rocking from the idle of the powerful engine under the thin body, with flames and puffs of smoke shooting out of the 8 polished exhaust pipes coming out of the sides, it rolls through a puddle of water in a depression set 20 feet back from the starting line. The bear mashes down on the gas, causing the whole car to lurch and almost jump as the rear wheels spin. White smoke billows out around the tires as he does a long burnout over the start line and 50 feet down the track. Sharon, standing in the starting area of the right lane with a small group of mammals looks to ray in confusion. He yells to her over the noise and to compensate for the hearing protection they both are wearing.

"It heats up the tires so they grip better!" She nods, clamping her paws over the ear muffs covering her ears to try and dampen the loud noise. Fierce back the car up and a team of mechanics and engineers do their final checks on the car to make sure it is ready for the pass. His crew chief, a llama dressed in a light blue uniform, guides him up to the line, making sure he stays centered on the two large black skid marks he left on the track. When he hits the first staging beam, the llama closes his fist and steps out of the way. Ray brings his cell phone up to take pictures, even though there are several press photographers and one from John Fierce's own race team. The car inches forward until the two staging lights turn on and the RPMS of the car climb as the grizzly holds the brake. Suddenly the three amber lights towards the top of the 'christmas tree' go on. As the lights fade off, and the green comes on, John releases the brake and throttles up. The car roars as the engine comes to life. Flames shoot five feet out of the exhaust pipes and the vehicle shoots down the track as if fired from a cannon. After four seconds the car has covered the entire quarter mile and breaks through a red ribbon stretched across the finish line. Two parachutes deploy behind the car, helping it slow to a smoky stop at the end of the track. Ray jumps up and down in excitement. Yelling at the top of his lungs at the sight of the first car down his track. He turns towards Sharon and stops dead at the sight before him. Eyes wide, she is standing still, a look of complete shock on her face, jaw hanging open. Her one paw is raised, pointing down the track at the car that just left. Ray suddenly remembers the phone in his paw and quickly snaps a picture before the moment is lost.

"You're deleting that!" Sharon tells him when he shows her the picture later.  
"Nope, not gonna happen." He pulls the phone away as the coyote tries to grab it out of his paws.  
"I swear, if you show that to anyone, they will never find your corpse, Ray."  
"It is for my eyes only, dear. Now come on, I have to get over to the road course, Dom's Drift demo is starting soon." Ray says, pocketing the phone.  
"I'm.. I'm gonna go home. I am feeling a little nauseous. probably all the fumes and noise."  
"Are you ok?" Ray says concerned.  
"Yeah, like I said. just too much excitement for one day."  
"Ok, here take the car, I probably will be here all night anyway." Ray hands a set of keys over. "Call me if you need anything."  
"I will," She kisses the fox on the nose. "see you later. And if that picture ends on on snout book I will wring your neck, Volpe."  
"Love you too." He says, as she walks away.

The scream of three high reving engines pierce the afternoon as Dom, and his two fellow drivers, fly the wrong way down the back stretch of the road course. Upon reaching a long sweeping left turn Dom throws his car into a slide, the others follow his lead, smoke pouring off the rear tires as they skid around the turn in formation. After the turn is a short straight before the cars enter into a chicane, with a overrun going straight. Dom heads through the bypass as his drivers slide around the chicane. On reaching the other end The fox flicks his car in the opposite way around the loop, swinging wide as his co-drivers pass on the inside, much to the delight of the audience. The demonstration continues like this for a solid 10 minutes, a carefully choreographed ballet using 500+ horse power machines. It ends with Dom standing on the hood of his car, paws in the air, while the other two drivers do doughnuts around him, covering the area with a thick cloud of tire smoke.

About a half an hour after the drift demo ends, Ray opens up the tracks to the public. Several drivers sign up for time on the road course, but most head to the drag strip for the open "grudge night" racing. The roar of engines fills the air as Ray walks through to the food tent, finally getting a break from acting as host to enjoy the offerings of the catering company he hired. As he sits at a mostly empty table under one of the tents he is approached by several mammals, offering their congratulations for a successful opening and asking questions about future events. A few even congratulate him on his upcoming wedding. As he finishes his meal and is relaxing, drinking a beer, a pair of hoofs clap him on the shoulders.

"I gotta say, Scruffy, You throw one hell of a party." The deer says as he walks around the end of the table and sits opposite Ray.  
"Well that's how we do it here in the big city, Brian." Ray responds.  
"It's almost as good as one of our ho-downs back home, almost."  
"Yeah, well these guys aren't that interested in square dancing around here," Ray says, laughing.  
"We don't square dance anymore. Everybody line dances, and if I recall, there is more then one establishment here in the 'big city' that specializes in it. And they are always packed from what I hear." Brian tells Ray.  
"Well, I am not putting in a dance floor, or a barn, just to make you feel at home. Gods know I can't afford it anyhow." Ray says, as he takes another sip of beer.  
"How did you afford all of this, anyway? must have cost a fortune to get this place built?" The deer asks.  
"Wheeling and dealing my friend. That and a lot of I. O. U.s. I will be lucky to walk away today with the shirt off my back."  
"Before you lose your shirt, how about we go play in the dirt. Dad's been itching to fire up the cars and is about to start without you." The deer says as he stands.  
Ray smiles and stands himself.  
"You know, that sounds like a good idea."

Ray double checks the straps holding him the car as the engine rumbles at idle. Brian leans in shouts over the noise to the fox.  
"Ok! Dad is going take it easy for five laps to let you get a feel for the car, then he will ramp it up! Remember, no racing, it's just a test run!"  
Ray gives a thumbs up, as he tightens the strap on his open muzzle helmet. The deer fastens a safety net over the window and bangs twice on the roof to let Ray know his is good to go.

Two cars pull onto the oval track, A bright red car sporting a gold 28 on the sides and 'Hoofward Farms' across the hood, and the white 52, with Ray at the wheel. The first lap is slow, barely sliding in the turns. But ray plays with the throttle a bit and sends a roost of dirt up in the middle of the turn. He quickly saws at the wheel to keep from spinning out, realizing now that Mr. Hoofward was not kidding about the car's tendencies. A sense of apprehension, and excitement comes over him. Bobby slowly increases the speed until they are moving at a good clip around the track, siding sideways around the turns. On the fifth lap, Brian stands out on the inside of the track and waves a rag so that both drivers know the "warm up" is over. A roost of dirt comes off the rear tires of Hoofward's car and he pulls away from Ray, but Ray floors his car's accelerator and tries to catch up. The first few laps, the fox falls further behind as he struggles to comes to grips with the unfamiliar car, but soon he is pacing the deer ahead of him. After two more laps he has caught up, and is feeling slightly smug at his ability when the lead car pulls away again. Laughing to himself as he realizes Bobby was just toying with him, he pushes harder, falling into pace with the red car. Soon they are full bore around the ring as the track begins to break in and a "groove" forms on the racing line.

Back in the infield, Brian watches with a smile at the two lapping the track. A small gathering of curious mammals is starting to form by the grandstands, coming to see what the noise is from the track. As the two come in hot to the first turn, the deer makes a small mistake and slides up high out of the groove. Ray, caught up in the heat of the moment, slips under Bobby and pulls ahead. Bobby, instead of being upset at the fox, grins and falls in behind. After a two laps with the roles reversed, the elder deer makes a move, sticking the nose of his car on the inside on the front straight. Caught on the outside of the next turn, Ray cannot dive down onto the smooth packed surface that has formed on the inside of the turn, and is instead up in the loose dirt. He compensates by throwing the car even more sideways then normal and using every ounce of power the car has. Slipping onto the back stretch Ray stays along side Mr. Hoofward, slightly behind. Entering the next turn Ray tries to repeat the same maneuver, but enters too hot and spins. Coming to a stop, facing the wrong way and very close to the wall, he decides that playtime is over, especially in someone else's car. He waits to make sure Hoofward has slowed before turning the car around and pulling back to the infield.

As the white and black fox pulls next to the trailer and shuts the engine off, he is greeted by stern faced Brian, standing with his arms crossed. Ray can see the smile trying to force it's way through so he give the deer his best 'who me?' look.  
"No racing huh?" Brian asks as the grin breaks though.  
"Did you really believe that?" Ray responds as he unfastens his helmet and seat belts.  
The red car of the elder Hoofward pulls up along side the white car as Ray climbs out, the engine shutting down before the car comes to a stop. A laughing Bobby slides out of the driver side window with practiced ease.  
"Boy, you even drive like the old fox," he says to Ray. "Must run in the genes."  
"He taught me a lot," Ray says with a smile.  
"He taught us all a lot." Hoofward says, then puts his hoof on Ray's shoulder. "He would be proud of you, of who you've grown up to be."  
"Thanks, that means so much coming from you," Ray replies. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go do my rounds and make sure this place isn't falling apart while I am playing. Thank you for giving me a chance to drive Pop pop's car, Maybe someday soon I will have to build my own, and we can have a rematch." The fox turns an heads off to the main area to check up on proceedings.  
"Look forward to it." Bobby shouts after him.

The rest of the night passes with only minor problems, one or two scheduling issues and a few drunks that needed to be 'talked too' by ZPD, but nothing that was not expected. Ray closes off the night with an awards ceremony, giving a trophy to the fastest times on the road course and the drag strip. He even had an old piston welded to a base as the 'broken piston award' for the 'best' failure. This went to an elk, whose engine blew up on the starting line, sending his hood flying into the air. The party ran into the very early morning before Ray was able to get things closed down. With the last car pulling out at 3:00 am. The exhausted fox walks into a trailer set up as a temporary office and he falls asleep curled up on a large chair.

* * *

I got one more chapter left planned.. a total fluff one. then... who knows.


	35. A Full Plate

Full plate

Volpe Automotive, Sahara Square, two weeks after the wedding, Thursday evening.

Sharon walks into the back of the shop, into the office. She finds Ray behind a mountain of paperwork, Bills, invoices, receipts, and forms are piled in several messy stacks all over the desk. He looks rather disheveled and frustrated, but smiles warmly when he sees his wife walk in the door.  
"Hello Mrs. Volpe." He says to the coyote.  
"How long are you going to keep calling me that, my dear husband?" Sharon replies with a smile.  
"As long as I can get away with it, my darling wife." He says with a smirk.  
She walks around the desk to him. He stands up to great her properly and their arms go out to each other as their lips meet.  
"Gary said you have been in here all day," Sharon says to Ray. As they separate she sees THAT photo of her at the track, framed and hanging on the wall behind him. She know exactly how to get back at him.  
"Trying to catch up with all the paperwork from the shop and the track." Ray says as he sits back down in his chair. "Good news is the track actually made a little money this week, so it is supporting itself, bad news, it keeps me so busy that I swear I will go crazy if something else lands on my plate."  
"Is that so?" she says, as she takes out her cellphone.  
"I'm thinking of hiring a mechanic to help out." the fox states. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good that I am busy, but I would rather be home, with my beautiful wife." He gives her a cheesy grin, and she laughs. "So, what brings you out here, checking up on me?"  
"I came to let you know I was at the doctor's today." She says.  
"You are the doctor." He replies, teasingly.  
"You know what I mean. Anyway, I confirmed what has been making me feel weird these past few weeks." She tells him. He gets a concerned look on his face.  
"I though you said it would go away? Is it serious?" He says, worried.  
"It will go away, eventually, and it's nothing bad."  
"Well, how long, it's been over a month."  
"We are not sure," She says in a serious tone, trying to suppress a grin. "Nobody knows the gestational period for coyote-fox hybrids." She pauses to let what she said sink in, and as Ray's face goes from worry, to understanding, to total shock, she snaps a picture with her phone. His muzzle then slowly breaks out into a wide grin.  
"You mean?" He begins. Sharon nods her head.  
"And I'm?" he continues. She continues to nod.  
"And we're?" he says, more excited.  
"Yes, I'm pregnant." She tells him. He jumps out of his chair and grabs her into a tight hug, lifting her from the ground.  
"Oh my gods, this is… this is wonderful" Ray sputters out. Sharon laughs at his excitement, and when he puts her down, they hold each other at arms length.  
"How far along? when?" Ray asks rapidly.  
"Let's just say it's a good thing you married me when you did, I was worried I would have had to have the dress let out some." Sharon says chuckling. "Looks like I took after my mother after all."  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ray questions.  
"With mixed species pregnancies there are sometimes complications early on, and I wanted to make sure they were doing fine before I told you because you worry too much." Sharon says.  
"I do not worry too much… and wait… you said 'they'," the fox eyes his wife. Sharon grins, biting her lower lip, and holds up a paw, extending two fingers. Ray grabs his chest and throws an arm over his forehead in an over-dramatic fashion and pretends to faint. He falls back into his chair, the motion sending him spinning for a full rotation. Sharon shakes her head at the fox's bad acting and as he finishes turning towards her, plops down onto his lap. Ray letting out an 'oof' on her landing. She ignores her husband's discomfort and continues while she looks at the picture she took on her phone.  
"Doctor Cowmore is really excited, as since I am in the hospital almost every day anyway, we can study a mixed species pregnancy much more closely then they have been able to before."  
Ray looks peers around her at the photograph on the phone and looks to Sharon. She just gives a coy smile in return.  
"So, is this a big enough something on your plate to make you go crazy?" The coyote asks.  
"Absolutely stark raving mad," he says as he rests his chin on her shoulder and wraps his arms around her. "And I couldn't be happier about it."

The End.

* * *

Epilog

Several years later, Volpe residence, Western Coyote Canyon, Canyonlands.

A tan, stucco faced ranch house sits on the end of a quite cul-de-sac in a suburban neighborhood. Inside the attached two car garage, one bay sits empty, waiting for the residence's vehicle, the other is filled with tool boxes, a workbench, and Ray's Lynxus, currently on jack stands with the front suspension taken apart. Several toys lay scattered around the living room floor and on the furniture. Set into the wall is a fireplace with a large white mantle. Sitting on the mantle piece is several picture frames, one holds a wedding picture of the fox and coyote, surrounded by friends. Another, a double frame, has the picture of Sharon from the race track, and the other side the picture she took of Ray in the office that day, both of them with near identical looks of surprise on their muzzles. Two single frames hold images of infants. the one, a blue frame, has a small light tan bundle of fur wrapped in hospital swaddling. The frame has colorful lettering affixed to the bottom reading 'Alexander'. The last frame, is colored pink, and shows a white bundle of fur in similar swaddling. The text on the frame reads 'Melissa'.

Hung on the wall is a large picture of the whole family. Although it looks like a professional shot, it obviously was done at a 'candid' time. All of them are dressed up in fine clothes, the males in suits and the girls in nice dresses. The white and black fox, and the coyote, have their heads held against each other by a three year old Alexander. He has grow to look much like a light tan coyote pup, but with a slightly narrower and longer snout. He has his small paws around his parents heads and looks to be trying to climb atop them. Mellisa is in Ray's arm on his left and is pulling on his ear. She has a similar look to her brother, but has bright white fur, with a grey stripe running up her snout. Grins are apparent on all of their faces and it looks like Sharon is in mid laugh.

The house remains quiet, waiting for the family to return.

* * *

Well, That's the end of this story. Thank you all for reading and putting up with my amateurish writing skills. I do not know if I will try my hand at another story anytime soon but it is possible. I kinda want to write about Karma and Cara, but I'm not sure. We will see.


End file.
